Alibaba Launches Paid Tiers for Qwen AI
Alibaba has introduced paid tiers for the office assistant inside its Qwen AI app, as Alibaba seeks direct AI revenue.
Three paid membership tiers
According to Apple’s App Store listing, Alibaba now offers three annual membership options. Plans start at 200 yuan, or about $29.60, and rise to 1,499 yuan for the highest tier.
Meanwhile, users can purchase additional video-generation credits separately. Those credits range from 26 yuan to 968 yuan, based on usage limits. However, the standard Qwen chatbot remains free.
The paid offering focuses on Qwen’s office-assistant capabilities. Alibaba has been expanding Qwen beyond a conventional chatbot, positioning it as part of a wider AI-agent ecosystem.
Monetisation amid rising AI costs
The move reflects the growing cost of operating advanced AI systems. Large language models and multimodal agents require substantial computing capacity, as users demand frequent, complex tasks.
Therefore, subscription revenue could help Alibaba offset infrastructure expenses as Qwen usage expands. The company is testing whether users will pay for productivity-focused AI features after a period of free access.
The pricing also gives Alibaba room to serve different levels of demand. The entry plan targets lighter users, while the top tier serves heavier users.
Qwen expands its AI ecosystem
Alibaba has steadily increased Qwen’s role across consumer and enterprise operations. In May, the company connected the Qwen app to Taobao’s full product catalogue and introduced a Qwen-powered shopping assistant within Taobao.
As a result, users can browse products, compare options, place orders and manage deliveries through natural-language interactions. Alibaba said the integration covers more than four billion products across Taobao and Tmall.
Now, paid office-assistant tiers add another commercial layer to that strategy. Furthermore, Alibaba is pursuing revenue from developers and enterprise customers through its broader Qwen and cloud offerings.
The subscription launch therefore signals a wider transition for Qwen. While free access remains important for attracting users, Alibaba is increasingly testing paid services that can generate recurring revenue from AI adoption.
