# Qwen3.8

> Source: https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/qwen3_8
> Updated: 2026-07-25
> Categories: AI Models, Chinese AI, Large Language Models, Reasoning Models
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
> From AI Wiki (https://aiwiki.ai), the free encyclopedia of artificial intelligence. Reuse freely with attribution to "AI Wiki (aiwiki.ai)".

**Qwen3.8** is the name [Qwen](/wiki/qwen) uses for a model generation represented publicly by the hosted `qwen3.8-max-preview` service. [Alibaba Cloud](/wiki/alibaba_cloud) introduced the preview on July 19, 2026 through its Token Plan, Qoder, and QoderWork products. Alibaba described it as a 2.4-trillion-parameter [large language model](/wiki/large_language_model) and said a future Qwen3.8-Max would be released with open weights.[1][2]

As of July 25, 2026, Qwen3.8 was still a changing preview rather than a finished open-weight release. QwenCloud warns that the hosted model may be improved during the preview, then taken offline or replaced with a production version.[4] Alibaba had not published downloadable weights, a license, a technical report, or a release date for the promised production model.[2][9]

## Release and preview status

Qwen announced `qwen3.8-max-preview` during the 2026 [World Artificial Intelligence Conference](/wiki/world_artificial_intelligence_conference) in Shanghai. Alibaba's corporate report the next day confirmed that the model was available through Token Plan, Qoder, and QoderWork. The report repeated the 2.4T parameter figure, an internal claim that the model ranked second only to Fable 5, and the plan to make Qwen3.8-Max open weight.[1][2]

The preview did not remain fixed after launch. On July 21, Qwen said that another build had gone live and claimed improved frontend and WebDev performance. The announcement included no score, benchmark definition, or build identifier. Qwen also said the model was continuing to change daily and invited feedback through Token Plan, Qoder, QoderWork, and Qwen Studio.[8]

This release pattern matters for evaluation. A result obtained from the preview on one date may not describe the service a few days later. QwenCloud does not list a dated Qwen3.8 snapshot, so users cannot select a known frozen build from the public model table.[3]

## Documented capabilities

The exact service identifier in QwenCloud documentation is `qwen3.8-max-preview`. It appears in the recommended-model table, where it is marked Token Plan only. QwenCloud recommends it for its strongest reasoning tier.[3]

| Capability | QwenCloud documentation |
| --- | --- |
| Context | 1M tokens |
| Thinking | Supported |
| [Function calling](/wiki/function_calling) | Supported |
| Built-in tools | Supported |
| Structured output | Not listed |
| Availability | Token Plan only |

The 1M figure is the documented [context window](/wiki/context_window), not an output limit. QwenCloud's main model table does not list a maximum output length or thinking budget for Qwen3.8, even though it supplies those fields for older Qwen3.7 and Qwen3.6 models.[3]

The OpenAI-compatible chat reference documents special reasoning behavior for the preview. It says `preserve_thinking` defaults to true, so clients must return prior `reasoning_content` in its own field for multi-turn use. The same reference accepts `low`, `medium`, and `xhigh` reasoning effort, with a default thinking budget of 131,072 tokens and an upper mapping of 262,144 tokens for `xhigh`.[6] These are hosted API controls, not disclosed properties of an open checkpoint.

## Access and pricing

QwenCloud offers the preview through Token Plan Personal and Team editions. Token Plan is a subscription that deducts Credits across models and tools. For Personal Edition, the limited-time prices shown on July 25 were $6 per month for Lite, $18 for Standard, and $68 for Pro. Those plans carried 5-hour limits of 700, 3,000, and 12,000 Credits, and 7-day limits of 2,500, 10,000, and 40,000 Credits.[4]

Those monthly prices are not a standalone Qwen3.8 price per input or output token. QwenCloud says the Credits used by a request vary with the model, token use, thinking, and tool calls. Its Personal Edition terms also restrict the key to interactive use in programming and agent tools. Automated scripts, application backends, and non-interactive batch processing are prohibited under that plan.[4]

The preview received separate promotional treatment in Qoder CN. Alibaba reduced its Credits coefficient from 0.5x to 0.05x during regular hours and to 0.01x between 22:00 and 08:00 China Standard Time. The promotion began July 19 without a published end date, and Alibaba reserved the right to change or end it.[5] These temporary Credit multipliers should not be interpreted as final API pricing for a production Qwen3.8 release.

## Size, architecture, and open weights

The 2.4-trillion-parameter figure comes from Alibaba. The company did not say how many parameters are active for each token, whether the model uses a dense or mixture-of-experts architecture, or how the total was measured. It also did not disclose the training dataset, training compute, post-training process, or safety evaluation.[2][9]

No Qwen3.8 [model card](/wiki/model_card), paper, or checkpoint was public by July 25. The Qwen GitHub organization still highlighted Qwen3.6 as its current general language-model repository and had no Qwen3.8 repository.[10] Because there were no downloadable weights or license terms, the hosted preview was not itself an open-weight release. Alibaba's statement that Qwen3.8-Max would become open weight did not specify a repository, license, model size, or date.[2][9]

## Multimodality documentation conflict

Alibaba's current documentation does not give one consistent account of the preview's input modalities. The Token Plan Individual model list labels `qwen3.8-max-preview` as supporting visual understanding and text generation.[4] Some QwenCloud client metadata also lists text and image input. However, a Qwen Code article published on July 21 says the preview does not have multimodal capability and describes using Qwen3.6-Plus to interpret a screenshot before sending a text description to Qwen3.8.[7]

Press reports based on the launch announcement also described image, video, and document processing.[9] The live text-generation model table does not document video input for Qwen3.8.[3] Until Alibaba reconciles these pages, visual support should be checked against the specific endpoint and client. Video and document inputs should not be assumed from the broad launch claim alone.

## Evaluation and naming

Alibaba said its initial tests placed Qwen3.8-Max-Preview behind only Fable 5, but it published no benchmark names, scores, prompts, sampling settings, or comparison table. At launch, no established independent leaderboard had scored the model.[9] The July 21 claim of better WebDev performance was also unsupported by a public test.[8] The available evidence establishes a hosted preview, not a verified second-place model.

Qwen3.8 is also distinct from [Qwen3-Max](/wiki/qwen3_max) and Qwen3-8B. In `Qwen3-8B`, 8B denotes an 8.2-billion-parameter checkpoint from the earlier Qwen3 family. It has downloadable files and an Apache 2.0 license.[11] The decimal in Qwen3.8 is a version label. Qwen3-8B specifications, architecture, and license do not carry over to Qwen3.8.

## References

1. Qwen (@Alibaba_Qwen). Qwen3.8-Max-Preview launch post. X, July 19, 2026. https://x.com/Alibaba_Qwen/status/2078759124914098291
2. Alibaba Group. Alibaba Cloud Unveils Agent-Native Innovations at WAIC 2026. July 20, 2026. https://www.alibabagroup.com/en-US/document-2016703577908576256
3. QwenCloud. Text generation models. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://docs.qwencloud.com/developer-guides/getting-started/text-generation-models
4. QwenCloud. Token Plan Individual. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://docs.qwencloud.com/token-plan/personal/token-plan-personal-overview
5. Alibaba Cloud Help Center. Qwen3.8-Max-Preview limited-time offer. July 19, 2026. https://help.aliyun.com/zh/lingma/qwen3-8-max-preview-limited-time-offer
6. QwenCloud. OpenAI chat API reference. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://docs.qwencloud.com/api-reference/chat/openai-chat
7. Qwen Code Docs. Building a GPT-Style Cover Generation Skill with Qwen 3.8-max. July 21, 2026. https://qwenlm.github.io/qwen-code-docs/en/blog/cases/qwencode-bailian-skill-openai-cover-gen/
8. ITHome. 阿里千问 Qwen3.8-Max-Preview 最新版本已上线，前端表现获提升. July 21, 2026. https://www.ithome.com/0/979/756.htm
9. SiliconANGLE. Alibaba previews Qwen3.8, claims it is second only to Claude Fable 5. July 19, 2026. https://siliconangle.com/2026/07/19/alibaba-previews-qwen3-8-claims-second-claude-fable-5/
10. Qwen. GitHub organization. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://github.com/QwenLM
11. Qwen. Qwen3-8B model card. Hugging Face. Accessed July 25, 2026. https://huggingface.co/Qwen/Qwen3-8B