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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

GitHub Copilot vs Qwen:
which should you use?

GitHub Copilot and Qwen, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

GitHub Copilot is built for coding, data & technical work. Qwen ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

2 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

GitHub Copilot and Qwen side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryGitHub CopilotQwenBetter fit
What it's built forThe default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses. A free tier now covers light use.Ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.GitHub Copilot
Fit for coding, data & technical workBuilt for thisStrong fitGitHub Copilot
Free planYes. Free tier, 2,000 completions a monthYes. Free to use, weights downloadableTie
Cheapest way to pay$10 a month.No paid tier — it is free.Qwen
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $10/month
  • Per seat, from $19/month
  • Enterprise, from $39/month
No paid tier — it is free.Tie
What to watch out forSuggestions are strongest on common patterns and weakest exactly where your codebase is unusual. Pro and above bundle a monthly credit allowance, so premium-model work is metered on top of the seat.The coding editors most developers use do not ship with it selected; you are wiring it up yourself or self-hosting.Tie
Who it is usually fordevelopers, studentsGeneral use.Tie
Runs on your own machineHosted service only — your material goes to their servers.Can be run on your own machine, so the material never leaves it.Qwen
Made byGitHub — San Francisco, US.Alibaba Qwen — Hangzhou, CN.Tie

Neither leads on the 9 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table.

Too close to call

GitHub Copilot or Qwen

Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.

✓ The job is mainly coding, data & technical work ✓ The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses. ✓ You are among developers or students ✓ It is built for coding, data & technical work
Choose Qwen instead if…

Ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.

Qwen is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ The job is mainly coding, data & technical work ✓ The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses. ✓ You are among developers or students ✓ It is built for coding, data & technical work

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 4 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
What it's built forGitHub CopilotHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed
Fit for coding, data & technical workGitHub CopilotHow well it does the jobBoth products are listed under coding, data & technical work in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under coding, data & technical work
Cheapest way to payQwenEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.
Runs on your own machineQwenHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed

The prices

GitHub Copilot. Read by hand off github.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. github.com/features/copilot/plans

Qwen. Read by hand off chat.qwen.ai on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. chat.qwen.ai/pricing

The ratings

The category these two share. Coding, Data & Technical Work — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

GitHub Copilot
Not a good fit
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Qwen
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Qwen
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

GitHub Copilot
Built for this
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: GitHub Copilot
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

GitHub Copilot
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

GitHub Copilot
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

GitHub Copilot
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
Pick GitHub Copilot if

The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses.

by GitHub
The job is mainly coding, data & technical work
The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses.
You are among developers or students
It is built for coding, data & technical work
Pick Qwen if

Ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.

by Alibaba Qwen
Ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
The material cannot leave your own machine
Free to use, weights downloadable

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
GitHub Copilotby GitHub
Qwenby Alibaba Qwen
Free version
GitHub Copilot
Yes — Free plan available2,000 completions a month
Qwen
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use, weights downloadable
Individual plans
GitHub Copilot
Pro $10 / month
Pro+ $39 / month
Max $100 / month
QwenFree plan only
Business plans
GitHub Copilot
From $19 / user / month
QwenNot sold to teams
Enterprise
GitHub Copilot
From $39 / user / month
QwenNot published
View full details
GitHub CopilotView GitHub Copilot pricing
QwenView Qwen pricing
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
GitHub Copilot. It is built for coding, data & technical work; Qwen does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on.
9 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is GitHub Copilot or Qwen better?

Neither leads on the 9 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table. GitHub Copilot is built for coding, data & technical work; Qwen does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on. GitHub Copilot: The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses. A free tier now covers light use. Qwen: Ships Coder builds trained for code specifically, up to 480B, and they are downloadable like the rest of the family.

Is GitHub Copilot or Qwen cheaper?

Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.

Do GitHub Copilot and Qwen both have free plans?

Yes. GitHub Copilot: Free tier, 2,000 completions a month. Qwen: Free to use, weights downloadable.

What should I watch out for?

GitHub Copilot: Suggestions are strongest on common patterns and weakest exactly where your codebase is unusual. Pro and above bundle a monthly credit allowance, so premium-model work is metered on top of the seat. Qwen: The coding editors most developers use do not ship with it selected; you are wiring it up yourself or self-hosting.

Read more

GitHub Copilot

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Qwen

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI for Coding

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

How we compare AI tools
Every row is generated from the same record the rest of the site is built on, so this page cannot drift from what we say elsewhere. We separate winner, tie and depends rather than forcing each category into a ranking, and we drop rows where both sides say the same thing. A pick is only called an overall pick when it leads on rows about how well the tool does the job; a lead that rests on price or audience alone is labelled as one. Nothing here is a hands-on test — how we know lists the source and date behind every deciding row.