If you only read one line: pick by workload, not by benchmark charts.
For Heavy Google Workspace users; Multimodal and video generation work, Gemini is the more direct fit. For Chinese office documents and tables; Teams already running on Alibaba Cloud, Qwen gets there with less fighting.
Both have free tiers, so cost only separates them once you hit the limits. They're in the same context range (1M tokens (Gemini 4 Argon unified context; Pro models take 1M input and 64K output) (checked 2026-10-29)), so document size won't be what decides it.
| Dimension | Gemini | Qwen |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo ($199.99/yr); Google AI Ultra $99.99/mo; Google AI Plus $7.99/mo (third-party figure) (checked 2026-10-29) | Qianwen app free; API qwen3.8-max CNY 12 input and CNY 36 output per million tokens (Beijing region; CNY 1.5 on cache hits) (checked 2026-10-29) |
| Context window | 1M tokens (Gemini 4 Argon unified context; Pro models take 1M input and 64K output) (checked 2026-10-29) | 1,000,000 tokens (qwen3.8-max; 991,808 max input, 131,072 max output) (checked 2026-10-29) |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows | Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, HarmonyOS PC |
| Best for | Heavy Google Workspace users; Multimodal and video generation work; Very long source material | Chinese office documents and tables; Teams already running on Alibaba Cloud; Developers calling a China-hosted model |
| Availability | Personal accounts are not open in mainland China, where only Workspace accounts work, and there is no China edition (checked 2026-10-29). | Directly reachable in mainland China with no proxy, and a China edition exists (checked 2026-10-29). |
Heavy Google Workspace users; Multimodal and video generation work; Very long source material. Its strongest point: Cites source links you can open and check yourself. Watch out for: Plan names get renamed often enough to be hard to track.
Chinese office documents and tables; Teams already running on Alibaba Cloud; Developers calling a China-hosted model. Its strongest point: Balances Chinese and English quality on the same model. Watch out for: Web and app do not offer the same features.
Most people I know keep both tabs open — one for finding things, one for producing the final draft — and stop paying for whichever they touch last.
Gemini if you want Heavy Google Workspace users. Qwen if Chinese office documents and tables. Neither has a learning curve worth worrying about past the first day.
Yes — both have free tiers, and the pair covers more ground than either alone.
They're in the same context range (1M tokens (Gemini 4 Argon unified context; Pro models take 1M input and 64K output) (checked 2026-10-29)), so document size won't be what decides it.