Alibaba Qwen app surpasses 10 million downloads one week after relaunch

Alibaba said the new Qwen app reached more than 10 million downloads within a week of release, according to data posted on WeChat. Alibaba’s shares rose more than 5% in Hong Kong after the announcement. The app has become a central part of the company’s updated strategy to compete with OpenAI in the consumer AI market.

The Qwen relaunch unifies Alibaba’s previously scattered mobile apps under a single brand, giving users one platform for interacting with the company’s models. The surge in downloads highlights the record pace at which AI apps continue to scale. Qwen is now one of the fastest-growing services on the market, especially given that ChatGPT is unavailable in China.

Kenny Ng, an analyst at China Everbright Securities, said Qwen’s momentum could influence Alibaba’s future valuation as consumer AI becomes a key driver of growth. The company confirmed it will add agent-style features to the app, including maps, food delivery, travel, education, productivity tools, and health services. Alibaba says Qwen is intended to become a full AI agent integrated across the group’s ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Ant Group, Alibaba’s fintech subsidiary, reported more than 1 million downloads of its multimodal assistant LingGuang within four days, signaling rising demand for local AI products.

Qwen’s evolution reflects a broader trend of AI models taking on larger roles in fintech and consumer services. As shown in the launch of Alpha Arena 1.5, models like Qwen are moving beyond text generation, managing real capital, trading US equities, and analyzing complex fundamental signals.

In the first season of Alpha Arena, the Qwen 3 Max model posted a 22% return in crypto trading, but in the new season, where models trade US stocks, Qwen begins in the middle of the leaderboard.