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Qwen Code

Qwen Code

Open-source agentic CLI for coding with Qwen3-Coder by Alibaba

Pay-as-you-go via Alibaba Cloud Model Studio ✗ Split Opinion Visit Website ↗

Score Breakdown

7.0
8.0
8.9
Code Quality & Accuracy 7.9
7.0 7.8 9.0
Context Understanding 7.9
7.0 7.8 8.8
Multi-file Editing 7.6
6.8 7.6 8.5
Speed & Performance 7.6
5.5 8.2 9.2
Pricing Value 9.4
9.5 9.0 9.8
Ease of Use 7.1
6.0 7.9 7.5
Model Flexibility 7.9
8.5 8.7 6.5
Extension Ecosystem 7.3
7.0 7.8 7.0

Judge Opinions

Claude Opus 7.0

"Qwen Code offers the most generous free tier in the CLI agent space (1,000-2,000 requests/day at zero cost) and full OpenAI-compatible API flexibility, but it is a lightly-adapted fork of Gemini CLI with documentation that still references the original project. The ~429-second average task latency on benchmarks makes it unsuitable for real-time pair programming, and independent evaluations rate real-world output at 6.8/10 — well below its headline benchmark scores."

+ Most generous free tier of any comparable tool: 1,000-2,000 requests/day with no payment required
+ Fully model-agnostic via OpenAI-compatible endpoint support — works with local Ollama, third-party APIs, or Alibaba Cloud
+ 18.3K GitHub stars with active development (268 releases) and growing VS Code extension (80K+ installs)
+ Qwen3-Coder-Next variant (3B active params) enables practical local deployment with 10x throughput improvement
- Average task completion time of ~429 seconds on benchmark tasks makes it impractical for interactive workflows
- Shallow fork of Gemini CLI — documentation still references Gemini in places, suggesting limited original engineering
- Chinese government censorship is embedded in the underlying model, refusing queries about sensitive political topics
- JetBrains IDE integration is currently broken due to ACP v1/v2 protocol mismatch
GPT-5.2 8.0

"Qwen Code is an open-source, terminal-first coding agent that can read and edit files across a repo and run commands with an approve/review loop. It supports both Qwen account login flows and bring-your-own-key configurations, including OpenAI-compatible APIs, but some “batteries-included” defaults depend on the Qwen platform and rate limits. It’s a solid option if you want a CLI agent with repo-scale edits without committing to a single provider."

+ Open-source CLI with a clear install path via npm and predictable local workflow
+ Optional login-based usage can reduce setup friction compared to configuring multiple API keys
+ Works with OpenAI-compatible providers by setting an API base URL and model name
+ Supports repo-scale work: multi-file edits, patch-style changes, and command execution
+ Growing integration surface (e.g., IDE/editor support and a TypeScript SDK for embedding)
- Requires a modern Node.js runtime, which can be a hurdle on locked-down machines
- Daily quotas and rate limits can interrupt longer debugging sessions or large code rewrites
- Some features and defaults are optimized for the Qwen platform rather than being provider-neutral
- Still early-stage, so UX and behaviors can change noticeably between releases
Gemini 3 8.9

"Qwen Code is a standout open-source terminal agent that combines the powerful Qwen3-Coder model with a polished TUI based on Google's Gemini CLI architecture. It offers an incredibly generous free tier (1,000 requests/day) and strong agentic capabilities, making it a top choice for developers who prefer the command line. While slightly less polished than commercial IDE extensions, its performance-to-cost ratio is unmatched."

+ Exceptional value with 1,000 free daily requests via Qwen OAuth
+ Built on Qwen3-Coder, one of the strongest open-weights coding models available
+ Solid engineering foundation (forked from Gemini CLI) with active maintenance
+ Supports agentic workflows with planning and sub-agents
- CLI-first experience has a steeper learning curve than GUI tools
- Model flexibility is primarily focused on the Qwen ecosystem
- IDE integrations are lighter-weight wrappers compared to native extensions

/// RECOMMENDED_USE_CASE

"Developers wanting a model-agnostic CLI agent with the most generous free tier (2,000 requests/day)"