Alibaba Opens Qwen4 Max in Preview and Says Qwen4 Is Coming
Qwen4 is coming. Deeper knowledge. Richer world understanding. Stronger coding and agentic capabilities. Built for real-world tasks — from complex coding and knowledge work to front-end builds and professional software workflows. Qwen4-Max is now in preview on Alibaba’s Token Plan. You can also get early access to the new model on QwenWork, Qoder, Qwen APP, and QwenStudio. Put it to the test on a real problem. Show us what you build. 👀 Token Plan:
Context
A new flagship from one of the strongest Chinese model makers raises the bar for open and low cost rivals to US frontier labs.
Qwen is the model family built by Alibaba. Earlier Qwen releases, including the Qwen3 series, became some of the most widely used models from China, and many of them were released with open weights. Alibaba's Token Plan is its paid access plan for Qwen models.
Deep dive
The official Qwen account posted that Qwen4 is coming, describing the new generation as having deeper knowledge, richer world understanding, and stronger coding and agentic capabilities.
According to the post, the models are built for real world tasks, from complex coding and knowledge work to front end builds and professional software workflows. Qwen said the first model, Qwen4 Max, is now in preview on Alibaba's Token Plan, and that early access is also available on QwenWork, Qoder, the Qwen app and QwenStudio. The image attached to the post reads Qwen4 Max, Now in Preview.
The post invites users to test the model on real problems and share what they build. It does not include benchmark scores, pricing, context length, or a release date for the rest of the Qwen4 family, and it does not say whether any Qwen4 models will come with open weights.
The announcement went out on the evening of Nov 10 Eastern time, the same day Google made Gemini 4 Carbon available, and drew over 400,000 views within a few hours.
What to expect next
Watch for benchmark results, a model card and pricing for Qwen4 Max, and for word on whether smaller Qwen4 models will be released with open weights, as earlier Qwen generations were. Independent leaderboards and coding tools will likely test the preview in the coming days, and a wider launch of the Qwen4 family would put new pressure on other Chinese labs and on US model makers competing on price.