What are Qwen Models?
Qwen models are a series of large language models developed by Alibaba's Qwen team, designed to excel in reasoning, coding, multimodal understanding, and multilingual capabilities. These models utilize advanced architectures including Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) designs and innovative training techniques to deliver state-of-the-art performance across diverse tasks. From general-purpose conversation to specialized coding tasks, Qwen models offer developers and researchers powerful tools for building next-generation AI applications with superior performance in reasoning, tool usage, and context understanding.
Qwen3-235B-A22B
Qwen3-235B-A22B is the flagship large language model in the Qwen series, featuring a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture with 235B total parameters and 22B activated parameters. This model uniquely supports seamless switching between thinking mode for complex logical reasoning and non-thinking mode for efficient dialogue. It demonstrates superior reasoning capabilities, excellent human preference alignment in creative writing, and supports over 100 languages with strong multilingual instruction following.
Qwen3-235B-A22B: The Ultimate Reasoning Powerhouse
Qwen3-235B-A22B represents the pinnacle of Qwen's model architecture, featuring 235 billion total parameters with 22 billion activated through its sophisticated MoE design. The model's dual-mode capability allows users to switch between thinking mode for complex reasoning tasks and non-thinking mode for efficient general dialogue. With support for over 100 languages and exceptional performance in mathematical reasoning, coding, and creative tasks, this model sets the standard for multilingual, multi-capability AI systems.
Pros
- Massive 235B parameter MoE architecture with 22B active parameters
- Dual-mode operation: thinking and non-thinking modes
- Superior reasoning capabilities in math, coding, and logic
Cons
- High computational requirements for optimal performance
- Premium pricing reflects advanced capabilities
Why We Love It
- It combines massive scale with intelligent parameter activation, delivering unmatched reasoning capabilities while supporting seamless mode switching for diverse application needs.
Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct
Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct is the most advanced agentic coding model from Alibaba, featuring a MoE architecture with 480B total parameters and 35B activated parameters. It supports 256K context length (extendable to 1M tokens) for repository-scale understanding and achieves state-of-the-art performance in coding benchmarks, comparable to leading models like Claude Sonnet 4.
Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct: The Agentic Coding Champion
Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct represents the cutting edge of AI-powered software development. With 480 billion parameters and 35 billion activated through advanced MoE architecture, this model excels not only in code generation but also in autonomous interaction with developer tools and environments. Its massive 256K context window can be extended to handle entire codebases, making it ideal for complex, repository-scale programming tasks and agentic workflows.
Pros
- Massive 480B parameter architecture optimized for coding
- State-of-the-art agentic coding capabilities
- 256K native context, extendable to 1M tokens
Cons
- Requires significant computational resources
- Specialized for coding tasks, less general-purpose
Why We Love It
- It revolutionizes software development with true agentic capabilities, handling entire repositories and autonomously solving complex programming challenges.
QwQ-32B
QwQ-32B is the dedicated reasoning model in the Qwen series, featuring 32 billion parameters and advanced reasoning capabilities. It excels in mathematical reasoning, logical problem-solving, and complex analytical tasks, achieving competitive performance against state-of-the-art reasoning models like DeepSeek-R1 and o1-mini while offering superior efficiency and accessibility.
QwQ-32B: Specialized Reasoning Excellence
QwQ-32B is purpose-built for reasoning tasks, incorporating advanced technologies like RoPE, SwiGLU, and RMSNorm with a 64-layer architecture. This model demonstrates exceptional performance in mathematical reasoning, logical analysis, and complex problem-solving scenarios. With 32 billion parameters optimized specifically for reasoning tasks, QwQ-32B offers an ideal balance of capability and efficiency for applications requiring deep analytical thinking.
Pros
- Specialized 32B architecture optimized for reasoning
- Competitive with DeepSeek-R1 and o1-mini
- Advanced technical architecture with 64 layers
Cons
- Focused primarily on reasoning tasks
- Limited multimodal capabilities compared to VL models
Why We Love It
- It delivers specialized reasoning excellence with a focused architecture that matches the performance of much larger models while maintaining efficiency.
Qwen Model Comparison
This comprehensive comparison showcases 2025's leading Qwen models, each optimized for specific use cases. Qwen3-235B-A22B offers the most comprehensive capabilities with dual-mode operation, Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct dominates in coding and development tasks, while QwQ-32B provides specialized reasoning excellence. Choose the model that best aligns with your specific requirements and computational resources.
| Number | Model | Developer | Specialization | SiliconFlow Pricing | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen3-235B-A22B | Qwen3 | General/Reasoning | $1.42 out / $0.35 in per M tokens | Dual-mode MoE powerhouse |
| 2 | Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B | Qwen | Agentic Coding | $2.28 out / $1.14 in per M tokens | Repository-scale understanding |
| 3 | QwQ-32B | QwQ | Specialized Reasoning | $0.58 out / $0.15 in per M tokens | Optimized reasoning efficiency |
Frequently Asked Questions
Our top three Qwen models for 2025 are Qwen3-235B-A22B (the flagship general-purpose model), Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct (the advanced coding specialist), and QwQ-32B (the dedicated reasoning model). Each represents the pinnacle of performance in their respective domains.
For general-purpose applications requiring both reasoning and efficiency, choose Qwen3-235B-A22B. For software development and coding tasks, Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct is unmatched. For mathematical reasoning and analytical tasks, QwQ-32B provides optimal performance-to-efficiency ratio.