Alternatives

# Best Open-Source Qwen Alternatives in October 2026

> The strongest open-weight alternative to Qwen as of October 2026 is Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI: 2.8 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 2.0× pricier; open weights. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.
- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/open-source
- Last updated: 2026-10-11
- Title: Best Open-Source Qwen Alternatives (October 2026) | Noometry

The strongest open-weight alternative to Qwen as of October 2026 is Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI: 2.8 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 2.0× pricier; open weights. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.

Last verified October 11, 2026

1.  ## [Kimi K3](https://noometry.com/models/kimi-k3) Moonshot AI
    
    2.8 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 2.0× pricier; open weights.
    
    Score 59.5, $6 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/kimi-k3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
2.  ## [GLM-5.3](https://noometry.com/models/glm-5-3) Z.ai (Zhipu)
    
    1.9 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 1.4× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 54.8, $2.15 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/glm-5-3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
3.  ## [DeepSeek V4 Pro](https://noometry.com/models/deepseek-v4-pro) DeepSeek
    
    2.4 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 3.0× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 54.3, $0.99 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/deepseek-v4-pro-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
4.  ## [MiMo-V2.6-Pro](https://noometry.com/models/mimo-v2-6-pro) Xiaomi
    
    6.5 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 5.5× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 50.3, $0.54 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/mimo-v2-6-pro-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
5.  ## [Inkling-Small](https://noometry.com/models/inkling-small) Thinking Machines Lab
    
    10.3 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 4.7× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 46.5, $0.64 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/inkling-small-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
6.  ## [Hy4 preview](https://noometry.com/models/hy4-preview) Tencent
    
    11.5 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 2.4× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 45.3, $1.25 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/hy4-preview-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
7.  ## [MiniMax-M3](https://noometry.com/models/minimax-m3) MiniMax
    
    13.0 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 5.7× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 43.8, $0.52 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/minimax-m3-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    
8.  ## [Gemma 4 31B IT](https://noometry.com/models/gemma-4-31b-it) Google
    
    13.2 points behind Qwen3.8 Max, 19.7× cheaper per token; open weights.
    
    Score 43.5, $0.15 per M tokens blended.[Compare with Qwen3.8 Max](https://noometry.com/compare/gemma-4-31b-it-vs-qwen3-8-max)
    

More: [All alternatives](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen), [Cheaper](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/cheaper), [For coding](https://noometry.com/alternatives/qwen/coding)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the best alternative to Qwen?

The strongest open-weight alternative to Qwen as of October 2026 is Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI: 2.8 points ahead of Qwen3.8 Max, 2.0× pricier; open weights. Compared against Qwen3.8 Max, Qwen's current top model.

### How were these alternatives chosen?

Each is the highest-ranked model from a different provider with downloadable weights, compared on the Noometry Index against Qwen3.8 Max.