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Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

LongCat vs Qwen:
which should you use?

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

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

LongCat meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. Qwen one of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.

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.

LongCat and Qwen side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryLongCatQwenBetter fit
What it's built forMeituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.Tie
Free planYes. Free to use at longcat.chatYes. Free to use, weights downloadableTie
What to watch out forBuilt for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission.Best used self-hosted or through a third party if data handling matters.Tie
Who it is usually forpeople exploringdevelopersTie
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 byMeituan LongCat — Beijing, CN.Alibaba Qwen — Hangzhou, CN.Tie

Qwen is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself. It is a single row of daylight, so read LongCat’s column before deciding.

Overall pick

Qwen

One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.

✓ One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage. ✓ You would rather not take on a subscription at all ✓ The material cannot leave your own machine ✓ You are among developers
Choose LongCat instead if…

Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

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

✓ Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. ✓ You would rather not take on a subscription at all ✓ You are among people exploring ✓ Free to use at longcat.chat

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 1 row that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
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

LongCat. Read by hand off longcat.chat on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. longcat.chat

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. General-Purpose AI Assistants — 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.

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Qwen
02

Search, Research & Academics

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
03

Writing, Communication & Language

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Qwen
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
06

Image & Design

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

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

LongCat
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
Pick LongCat if

Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.

by Meituan LongCat
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
You are among people exploring
Free to use at longcat.chat
Pick Qwen if

One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.

by Alibaba Qwen
One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
The material cannot leave your own machine
You are among developers

Pricing, simplified

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

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
LongCatby Meituan LongCat
Qwenby Alibaba Qwen
Free version
LongCat
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use at longcat.chat
Qwen
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use, weights downloadable
Individual plans
LongCatFree plan only
QwenFree plan only
Business plans
LongCatNot sold to teams
QwenNot sold to teams
Enterprise
LongCatNot published
QwenNot published
View full details
LongCatView LongCat 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
Qwen
Close call. Both cover general-purpose ai assistants at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on.
6 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is LongCat or Qwen better?

Qwen is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared, 1 of them about how well it does the job itself. It is a single row of daylight, so read LongCat’s column before deciding. both have a free plan you can start on. LongCat: Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. Qwen: One of the most downloaded open-weight families in the world, with excellent multilingual coverage.

Is LongCat 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 LongCat and Qwen both have free plans?

Yes. LongCat: Free to use at longcat.chat. Qwen: Free to use, weights downloadable.

What should I watch out for?

LongCat: Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission. Qwen: Best used self-hosted or through a third party if data handling matters.

Read more

LongCat

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 Assistants

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

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.