End of paying for AI? Qwen 3 is free and competes with ChatGPT!

Until recently, achieving top performance in artificial intelligence required resorting to paid and closed systems from large companies like OpenAI or Google (master working with AI thanks to the “AI without BS” course). This status quo is now disrupted by Qwen 3, an open-source model from Alibaba, which offers comparable performance completely free of charge. It allows users not only to gain advanced capabilities in programming, data analysis, and content creation but also to run it on their own hardware. This gives them full control over their data and opens the way to a future where we will be able to customize any software precisely to our needs by simply providing input in natural language.

Open versus Closed AI: What’s the Difference?

For a long time, the market was dominated by closed-source models like ChatGPT or Gemini. Their main advantages are ease of use, high performance, and stability, as they run on the massive infrastructure of large corporations. The user simply logs in and uses them. However, the disadvantage is a lack of control. You don’t know what data the model was trained on or what happens to the information you input into it. Any modifications or new features are entirely in the hands of the developers.

Conversely, an open-source model, such as Qwen 3, puts freedom into the user’s hands. You can download it, explore its functionality, and most importantly, run it locally on your own computer or company server. This gives you several key advantages:

• Data Control: Your sensitive information will not leave your hardware.
• Customization Capability: You can fine-tune the model on your own data and adapt it precisely to your needs.
• Independence: You are not dependent on the policies or fees of a single company.

Historically, open-source models were perceived as slower or “dumber” because they had to be scaled down to run on common hardware. However, Qwen 3 almost eliminates this difference.

What can Qwen 3 do and what is its strength?

Qwen 3 is not just another AI model, but a tool with enormous practical potential. In a matter of minutes, for example, it can program a complete web application, create a simple game, download and visualize data from the web, or clearly explain complex concepts. Its strength lies in the advanced Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture. From a total of 235 billion parameters, it uses only a relevant portion (approximately 22 billion) for each specific task, leading to high efficiency and speed.

Thanks to this, it can process up to 256 thousand tokens, which is double that of the standard GPT-4o model. Although smaller versions (e.g., with 8 billion parameters), which you can run on a regular laptop, will logically be less powerful, the full version on a more powerful server can compete with the best models on the market, such as Claude 4 Opus, in tests.

The Future of Software: Tailor-Made Programs for Everyone

The biggest revolution brought by models like Qwen 3 lies not just in AI itself, but in its impact on all software. Imagine that a program is missing a button or its layout isn’t to your liking. Instead of waiting for a developer update, you simply instruct the AI: “Move this button here and change its color.” Artificial intelligence, running locally and aware of your habits, can adapt any open application precisely to your needs. Software can thus become a mere “shell” with basic functions, which each user can fine-tune themselves. This would elevate the meaning of “personal computer” to a completely new, truly personal level.

How to Try Qwen 3?

If you want to test Qwen 3, you have several options. However, keep in mind that the author is the Chinese company Alibaba, and caution regarding shared data is advisable when using online services.

1. Web Interface: The easiest way is through the official website chat.qwen.ai, where you can try the model for free in your browser. A warning about potential data leakage applies here.
2. Local Installation: More technically proficient users can download the model from the Hugging Face platform and run it on their own computer using tools like Ollama or LM Studio. This ensures maximum data security.
3. API: A very affordable API is also available for developers, but here too, data is sent to external servers.

Will you use free AI, or would you prefer to pay?