- Early testers are positive on building apps from scratch: a 3D solar system and a neon puzzle game built in Qoder, and a coding task where it matched Qwen3.8-Max (20 of 20 tests passed) in about 2.5 minutes instead of 17.
- It is not a clear winner against other labs: in a T-Rex game test it finished faster than Claude Fable 5.2 and Gemini 4 Carbon, but the tester still rated Fable 5.2 best overall; one Hacker News user found it slightly slower than GPT-6.1 Terra.
- No independent benchmarks yet: Alibaba has published no benchmark table, and Artificial Analysis and LMArena had no score as of Nov 12.
- Official specs: 1M-token context, up to 393,216 output tokens, thinking on by default. Token Plan only, for interactive use in coding and agent tools. The preview ends Nov 25, 2026 and the model is then retired.
- Based on 8 hands-on tests and comments collected Nov 7 to 12, 2026 (4 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative). Treat this as an early read.
What testers found
Based on 8 hands-on tests and reviews we collected (4 positive, 0 negative, 4 mixed). We summarize them in our own words; we did not run these tests ourselves.
| Area | Agreement | What testers report |
|---|---|---|
| Building apps from scratch | Consistent | Every builder who posted results got a working app from a short prompt: an interactive 3D solar system, a 5x5 neon puzzle game, a T-Rex runner, an expression evaluator that passed 20 of 20 hidden tests. Two of these were made in Qoder, Alibaba's own coding tool. |
| Compared with rivals | Mixed | In one T-Rex test it finished faster than Fable 5.2 and Gemini 4 Carbon, but the tester still rated Fable 5.2 best overall. Claims that it beats Fable or GPT-6 come from single prompts with no method. |
| Speed | Mixed | Much faster than Qwen3.8-Max in one side-by-side video (about 2.5 vs 17 minutes on a coding task, 12 vs 19 on an animation). Against other labs it is less clear: one Hacker News user found it slightly slower than GPT-6.1 Terra at the default xhigh thinking. You can lower thinking to low or medium. |
| Editing existing code, long sessions | Too few tests | Only reports from Qoduck, the anonymous model in Qoder (Nov 7 to 11) that many believe was an early Qwen4-Max: strong on new builds, uneven on multi-step tasks and on editing an existing project. Qoder has not confirmed the link. |
| Benchmarks | Too few tests | No official or independent scores yet. A chart showing 53 on the Artificial Analysis index has circulated, but Qwen4-Max is not in Artificial Analysis rankings. |
| Availability | Consistent | Token Plan only, no pay-as-you-go API. Alibaba's terms limit it to interactive use in coding and agent tools, not app backends or batch jobs. The preview runs Nov 11 to Nov 25, 2026 (UTC+8). |
Selected tests
Gave Qwen4-Max-Preview and Qwen3.8-Max the same three prompts in the Qwen app, one try each. Both passed all 20 hidden tests on an expression-evaluator task, but Qwen 4 took about 2.5 minutes vs 17 and wrote 119 lines vs 177. A flocking-birds animation took about 12 minutes vs 19, and it answered a clock-angle logic question correctly (44).
“The difference was speed and polish.”
Added Qwen4-Max-Preview to a Chrome T-Rex game test: 32m 12s and free on Qwen Chat, vs Fable 5.2 at 45m 30s ($14.77), Gemini 4 Carbon 34m 41s ($5.20) and GPT-6 Astra 15m ($4.61). The tester still rated Fable 5.2 best overall.
Built an interactive 3D solar system in Qoder: planets orbit the sun and the camera moves freely. No comparison with other models.
Made Lightgrid, a neon 5x5 puzzle where each tap flips a tile and its neighbours, in Qoder. A working small game, but a single build with no comparison.
Tried it in Qwen Code at the default xhigh thinking: speed is acceptable but feels slightly slower than GPT-6.1 Terra.
“the speed is okay, feels slightly slower than Terra”
Six prompts on Qoduck, the anonymous Qoder model many believe was an early Qwen4-Max: a clean pelican SVG and a bug-free kanban board, but the arrow fletching in a bow drawing was reversed and a browser mini-game worked only with the mouse.
Is Qwen 4 out?
Partly. On November 11, 2026 (Beijing time; evening of November 10 in the US), Alibaba Cloud announced that Qwen4-Max is now in preview on its Token Plan, with early access in QwenWork, Qoder, the Qwen app and QwenStudio. Alibaba describes Qwen 4 as having “deeper knowledge”, “richer world understanding” and “stronger coding and agentic capabilities”, aimed at complex coding, knowledge work, front-end builds and professional software workflows.
What has not shipped yet: other Qwen 4 sizes, open weights, a model card, per-token API pricing and official benchmark results. This page tracks both what is live and what is still to come.
Specs and limits (official)
From Alibaba Cloud’s Model Studio documentation for qwen4-max-preview:
| Context length | 1M tokens |
| Max output | 393,216 tokens, shared by thinking and the final answer |
| Thinking | On by default; choose low, medium or xhigh (default) |
| Input | Text, images and video |
| APIs | Compatible with OpenAI Chat Completions, Responses and Anthropic Messages |
| Access | Token Plan only; no pay-as-you-go |
| Preview period | 10:00 Nov 11 to 24:00 Nov 25, 2026 (UTC+8); the model is retired afterwards |
Two limits matter if you plan to build on it. First, Alibaba’s Token Plan is “intended for interactive use only” inside coding and agent tools such as Qwen Code, Qoder or Claude Code, and must not be used for app backends or batch jobs. Second, the preview model will not change during the preview and is retired on November 25, so anything you build should be able to switch models.
How to try Qwen4-Max Preview
According to Alibaba Cloud, you can use the preview in:
- Alibaba Cloud Token Plan, Alibaba’s subscription for its hosted models, used through coding tools such as Qwen Code or Qoder.
- QwenWork, the Qwen app and QwenStudio, Alibaba’s own apps.
- Qoder, Alibaba’s AI coding tool.
Testers also use it in Qwen Chat (chat.qwen.ai), where one tester ran a full game test for free.
What is still rumor
| Claim | Where it comes from | Status |
|---|---|---|
| A full lineup of Max, Plus, Flash and 27B | A widely shared post on X after Apsara in September | Only Max is official so far |
| Open-weight Qwen 4 models | Expectation based on earlier Qwen generations | Not announced |
| A wider launch at an Alibaba event on November 17 | Reddit threads | Unconfirmed |
| Qoder’s stealth model Qoduck was an early Qwen4-Max | The Qoduck promotion ended at 10:00 Nov 11 (UTC+8), the exact moment the preview began | Qoder still lists Qoduck’s identity as undisclosed |
| Early benchmark charts, including a score of 53 on the Artificial Analysis index | Screenshots on X and Reddit | Unverified; Qwen4-Max is not in Artificial Analysis rankings |
Will Qwen 4 be open source?
Still unknown. Earlier Qwen generations released open weights for several sizes, which is why a possible Qwen 4 27B draws so much attention from people who run models locally. Today’s preview is Max only and hosted only. We will update this page if Qwen publishes weights on Hugging Face.
What we don’t know yet
- What replaces Qwen4-Max Preview after November 25, and release dates for the other Qwen 4 sizes
- Which sizes will have open weights, and under what license
- Per-token API pricing
- Official benchmark results, parameter count and a model card
Last checked November 12, 2026. We update this page as Alibaba publishes more.
Release timeline: how it got here
- Aug 24, 2026Reliable leak
Qwen3.8-Flash-Next appears on Hugging Face with model type
Source ↗qwen4_expin its config, read by many as a preview of the Qwen 4 architecture. - Late Oct 2026Speculation
Reported remarks at Apsara Amsterdam that launch is about a week away. That date slipped.
- Nov 10, 2026Reliable leak
Users spot "Qwen4 Max Preview" in Qwen Chat's front-end code. Confirmed the next day.
- Nov 11, 2026
FAQ
Is Qwen 4 out?
Partly. On November 11, 2026 (Beijing time), Alibaba Cloud put Qwen4-Max into preview on its Token Plan, with early access in QwenWork, Qoder, the Qwen app and QwenStudio. Other Qwen 4 sizes, open weights, a model card and official benchmarks have not been published yet.
How can I try Qwen4-Max Preview?
Through Alibaba Cloud's Token Plan subscription, or in QwenWork, Qoder, the Qwen app and QwenStudio. Testers also use it free in Qwen Chat at chat.qwen.ai. There is no pay-as-you-go API, and the Token Plan is for interactive use in coding and agent tools only.
When does the Qwen4-Max preview end?
Alibaba's documentation says the preview runs from 10:00 on November 11 to 24:00 on November 25, 2026 (UTC+8), and the model will be retired after the preview ends. It does not say what replaces it.
Is Qwen4-Max better than Claude Fable 5.2 or GPT-6?
Too early to say. In one T-Rex game test it finished faster than Fable 5.2 and Gemini 4 Carbon, but the tester still rated Fable 5.2 best overall, and there are no independent benchmark scores yet.
Is there a Qwen 4 27B or other open-weight model?
Not yet. As of November 11, 2026 there are no Qwen 4 weights in Qwen's Hugging Face organization, and Alibaba has not said which sizes will be open.
Is Qoduck the same model as Qwen4-Max Preview?
Unconfirmed. Qoder's free Qoduck promotion ended at 10:00 on November 11 (UTC+8), the same moment the Qwen4-Max preview began, and many posts treat them as the same model. Qoder's own page still calls Qoduck a stealth model whose identity has not been disclosed.
How much does Qwen4-Max cost?
Alibaba has not published per-token pricing. The preview is only available through its Token Plan subscription, which charges credits per use. Plans and credit amounts are on Alibaba Cloud's Token Plan page.
Sources
- Alibaba Cloud Model Studio: Qwen4-Max-Preview (specs, Token Plan access, preview Nov 11 to Nov 25)
- Alibaba Cloud Model Studio: Token Plan Personal overview (interactive use only)
- Qoder: Qoduck stealth model promotion (Nov 7 to Nov 11, 10:00 UTC+8)
- Hacker News: Qwen 4 Max Preview discussion (Nov 11, 2026)
- Alibaba Cloud on X: Qwen4-Max is now in preview (Nov 10, 2026 PT / Nov 11 Beijing)
- r/LocalLLaMA: Qwen4 Is Coming, preview now live (Nov 11, 2026)
- Qwen on X: "The becoming begins." (Nov 6, 2026)
- NYU Shanghai RITS: Alibaba at Apsara 2026, Qwen 4 in training (Sep 22, 2026)
- Hugging Face: Qwen/Qwen3.8-Flash-Next (model_type qwen4_exp)
Update log
- Nov 9, 2026 Page published: what's confirmed vs rumor before launch.
- Nov 11, 2026 Qwen4-Max Preview went live. Status changed to released; added where to try it and the full signal timeline.
- Nov 12, 2026 Added what early testers found (8 tests, including a side-by-side video against Qwen3.8-Max), official specs from Alibaba's docs (1M context, 393,216 max output) and the Nov 25 end of the preview.