【Honest Review】What I Really Found After Using Qwen for One Month

What You'll Learn in This Article

• Why I chose Qwen and how I got started with it
• My candid impressions after using it for one week to one month
• A balanced comparison of the good points and the disappointing points
• Real-experience-based explanations of how it differs from ChatGPT and Claude
• My conclusion on who should and shouldn't use it

Why I Chose Qwen

I frequently do Japanese-English translation and text generation for work, and since the paid plan for ChatGPT costs nearly ¥3,000 a month, I was on the lookout for an alternative. That's when I heard that "Qwen," an open-source LLM (an AI that can write text like a human) developed by Alibaba Cloud, was available for free, and I decided to give it a try. What also helped seal the deal was the buzz around the latest version, "Qwen 3.8 Max," released in July 2026, which reportedly has 2.4 trillion parameters (a figure that determines how capable an AI is) and delivers a major performance boost. I also heard that Japanese language support had improved, so I started using it with high expectations.

First Impressions After One Week

During the first week, I was honestly surprised, thinking, "Can this really be free?" I liked how easy it was — you just open the chat UI in a browser, no installation needed, and you can start asking questions right away. When I tried generating and summarizing Japanese text, the responses came back more naturally than I expected, and I felt it was more than capable for simple business emails and blog drafts. That said, there were moments when answers were slightly off-topic or technical terms were explained with minor inaccuracies, and I had to tell myself, "Well, it's free, so what can you expect." Even so, my overall first impression was that the value for money was outstanding.

Top 3 Things I Liked

1. Free to use as open source
The biggest advantage is that the open-source version is free to use. Compared to the paid plans of ChatGPT or Claude, having zero monthly cost is genuinely a relief. Usage via API is pay-as-you-go, and for small volumes it's essentially free.

2. Supports 201 languages, including natural Japanese
It supports 201 languages, and the accuracy in Japanese was higher than I imagined. With many other foreign-made AIs, Japanese outputs tend to feel unnatural, but Qwen responds in relatively smooth Japanese. It was also quite useful for translation work.

3. Multimodal support for images and audio
Starting with the latest Qwen 3.7, the model is multimodal, capable of understanding not just text but also images and audio. When I sent it a photo and asked it to "describe this image," it read the content quite accurately. The fact that this is available for free is remarkable.

Top 3 Disappointing Points

1. Occasionally inaccurate responses
Because it's free, it sometimes gives slightly off-target answers compared to ChatGPT or Claude. In particular, when I asked specialized questions or sought the latest information, I occasionally received outdated or incorrect content. Always verify the information independently.

2. Limited official information in Japanese
Since this is a tool developed by Alibaba Cloud, the official website and documentation are primarily in English and Chinese. There are few Japanese-language usage guides or case studies, which may make the barrier to entry high for beginners. Japanese articles online are also on the scarce side.

3. UI/UX is a bit hard to use
The chat UI is simple, but compared to ChatGPT or Claude, the design and usability are slightly lacking. Managing past conversation history is cumbersome, and I found it somewhat stressful to use over an extended period.

Differences I Noticed Compared to Other Tools

Compared to ChatGPT, Qwen is overwhelmingly better in terms of being free to use, but when it comes to accuracy and naturalness of responses, I felt ChatGPT has the edge. Especially for complex questions or creative tasks, ChatGPT handles things more smoothly. On the other hand, for straightforward tasks like basic text generation or translation, Qwen was more than sufficient. The same holds true when compared to Claude — paid AIs come out ahead when advanced reasoning is required, but for everyday business support, Qwen does the job. For those who want to keep costs down, or beginners who want to try out AI for the first time, Qwen is an extremely attractive option.

Conclusion: Who I Recommend It To and Who I Don't

Who I recommend it to
I strongly recommend it for individuals and small-to-medium businesses looking to cut costs, beginners trying AI for the first time, and those who need multilingual support including Japanese. In particular, if you're using it for basic tasks like text generation, translation, or image recognition, being able to do this much for free is a major advantage.

Who I don't recommend it to
On the other hand, for work that demands a high level of specialized knowledge, or situations where absolutely accurate answers are required, it's safer to use paid options like ChatGPT or Claude. Those who prioritize Japanese-language support or ease of use may also find it a little lacking.

Summary

• Qwen is a free, open-source LLM developed by Alibaba
• Supports 201 languages with relatively natural Japanese and multimodal capabilities
• Being free to use is its greatest advantage — the best choice if cost efficiency is your priority
• Response accuracy and UI/UX are somewhat inferior to paid AIs
• Recommended for everyday tasks and beginners; paid AIs are advised for specialized work
• After one month of use, my honest feeling is: "For free, this is more than enough"

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This article is a cross-post from AI Friends.