--- title: "Qwen vs Qwen-VL" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/qwenlm-qwen-vs-qwenlm-qwen-vl" tools: ["qwenlm-qwen", "qwenlm-qwen-vl"] --- # Qwen vs Qwen-VL Neutral, constraint-first comparison with live GitHub stats. | | [Qwen](/tools/qwenlm-qwen.md) | [Qwen-VL](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Official repo for Qwen, a Chinese large language model by Alibaba Cloud | The official repo of Qwen-VL (通义千问-VL) chat & pretrained large vision language model proposed by Alibaba Cloud. | | Stars | 21,404 | 6,693 | | Forks | 1,849 | 493 | | Open issues | 42 | 324 | | Language | Python | Python | | Adopt for | Qwen is a Chinese large language model developed by Alibaba Cloud, designed to support various formats and optimizations for natural language processing tasks. Though its official repository suggests it's no longer under | Qwen-VL is a vision-language model suite developed by Alibaba Cloud that supports advanced image and text understanding capabilities. It includes versions like Qwen-VL-Plus and Qwen-VL-Max, which are optimized for high-f | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Other | | Categories | Model Training, LLM Frameworks | Model Training, LLM Frameworks, Computer Vision | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [Qwen](/tools/qwenlm-qwen.md) | [Qwen-VL](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Slowing (36%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 125d | 701d | | Open issues (now) | 42 | 324 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/qwenlm-qwen/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl/trust.md) | **Typed relationship:** Qwen _(alternative)_ Qwen-VL Both Qwen and Qwen-VL are vision-language models from Alibaba Cloud, designed for Chinese natural language processing tasks. ## Shared compatibility - **Python**: [Qwen](/tools/qwenlm-qwen.md) - Python runtime; [Qwen-VL](/tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl.md) - Python runtime ## Decision facts: Qwen - **Pricing:** unknown - Pricing information is not specified in the repository and depends on usage via Alibaba Cloud or APIs like HuggingFace which have their own pricing structures for model usage. - **Adopt for:** Qwen is a Chinese large language model developed by Alibaba Cloud, designed to support various formats and optimizations for natural language processing tasks. Though its official repository suggests it's no longer under ## Decision facts: Qwen-VL - **Pricing:** unknown - Pricing details are not explicitly mentioned but support for free access through API and web interfaces is noted. For detailed pricing, refer to Alibaba Cloud's official documentation or the providedｑ - **Requirements:** Min 8 GB RAM - **Adopt for:** Qwen-VL is a vision-language model suite developed by Alibaba Cloud that supports advanced image and text understanding capabilities. It includes versions like Qwen-VL-Plus and Qwen-VL-Max, which are optimized for high-f - **License detail:** Other ## Choose when ### Choose Qwen if… - License: Qwen is Apache-2.0, Qwen-VL is Other. - Pricing: Pricing information is not specified in the repository and depends on usage via Alibaba Cloud or APIs like HuggingFace which have their own pricing structures for model usage.. - Both Qwen and Qwen-VL are vision-language models from Alibaba Cloud, designed for Chinese natural language processing tasks. - Tags unique to Qwen: pretrained-models, llm, natural-language-processing, flash-attention. - When focusing on applications that cater primarily to the Chinese-speaking audience as Qwen is specifically optimized for the Chinese language. ### Choose Qwen-VL if… - License: Qwen-VL is Other, Qwen is Apache-2.0. - Pricing: Pricing details are not explicitly mentioned but support for free access through API and web interfaces is noted. For detailed pricing, refer to Alibaba Cloud's official documentation or the providedｑ. - Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM. - Both Qwen and Qwen-VL are vision-language models from Alibaba Cloud, designed for Chinese natural language processing tasks. - Tags unique to Qwen-VL: python, vision-language-model. - Also covers Computer Vision. - - When you require a high-resolution image handling capability with resolutions up to millions of pixels and extreme aspect ratios, as Qwen-VL-Plus provides. ## When NOT to use Qwen - For projects requiring ongoing maintenance support as the repository notes a move towards Qwen2, suggesting current versions have ceased active development. - In scenarios where absolute state-of-the-art performance and recent updates for all languages are critical, due to its focus on Chinese language applications and stated obsolescence. ## When NOT to use Qwen-VL - - Avoid using Qwen-VL if low-resolution image processing or text-only tasks are sufficient, as it is optimized for high-definition images and detailed visual recognition. - - If real-time or near-real-time processing is critical and requires minimal latency, consider alternatives. Qwen-VL might have higher computational demands due to its advanced features. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between Qwen and Qwen-VL? Qwen: Official repo for Qwen, a Chinese large language model by Alibaba Cloud. Qwen-VL: The official repo of Qwen-VL (通义千问-VL) chat & pretrained large vision language model proposed by Alibaba Cloud.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose Qwen over Qwen-VL? Choose Qwen over Qwen-VL when License: Qwen is Apache-2.0, Qwen-VL is Other; Pricing: Pricing information is not specified in the repository and depends on usage via Alibaba Cloud or APIs like HuggingFace which have their own pricing structures for model usage.; Both Qwen and Qwen-VL are vision-language models from Alibaba Cloud, designed for Chinese natural language processing tasks; Tags unique to Qwen: pretrained-models, llm, natural-language-processing, flash-attention; When focusing on applications that cater primarily to the Chinese-speaking audience as Qwen is specifically optimized for the Chinese language. ### When should I choose Qwen-VL over Qwen? Choose Qwen-VL over Qwen when License: Qwen-VL is Other, Qwen is Apache-2.0; Pricing: Pricing details are not explicitly mentioned but support for free access through API and web interfaces is noted. For detailed pricing, refer to Alibaba Cloud's official documentation or the providedｑ; Requirements: Min 8 GB RAM; Both Qwen and Qwen-VL are vision-language models from Alibaba Cloud, designed for Chinese natural language processing tasks; Tags unique to Qwen-VL: python, vision-language-model; Also covers Computer Vision; - When you require a high-resolution image handling capability with resolutions up to millions of pixels and extreme aspect ratios, as Qwen-VL-Plus provides. ### When should I avoid Qwen? For projects requiring ongoing maintenance support as the repository notes a move towards Qwen2, suggesting current versions have ceased active development. In scenarios where absolute state-of-the-art performance and recent updates for all languages are critical, due to its focus on Chinese language applications and stated obsolescence. ### When should I avoid Qwen-VL? - Avoid using Qwen-VL if low-resolution image processing or text-only tasks are sufficient, as it is optimized for high-definition images and detailed visual recognition. - If real-time or near-real-time processing is critical and requires minimal latency, consider alternatives. Qwen-VL might have higher computational demands due to its advanced features. ### Is Qwen or Qwen-VL more popular on GitHub? Qwen has more GitHub stars (21,404 vs 6,693). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are Qwen and Qwen-VL open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (Qwen: Apache-2.0, Qwen-VL: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to Qwen or Qwen-VL? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at /tools/qwenlm-qwen/alternatives and /tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl/alternatives (/tools/qwenlm-qwen/alternatives.md, /tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl/alternatives.md), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at /compare/qwenlm-qwen-vs-qwenlm-qwen-vl.md mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, Qwen or Qwen-VL? Qwen: Slowing. Qwen-VL: Dormant. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for Qwen and Qwen-VL? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: Qwen: /tools/qwenlm-qwen/trust; Qwen-VL: /tools/qwenlm-qwen-vl/trust. --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=qwenlm-qwen`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=qwenlm-qwen) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_