Alibaba's Qwen tops global AI apps in user growth: report

Alibaba’s Qwen app saw the fastest rise in monthly active users among AI apps globally in November, according to data from Aicpb.com.

Qwen, launched by Alibaba, reached 18.3 million monthly active users after two weeks in public beta, making it the 24th most used AI app worldwide.

Aicpb.com reported that the app’s user base grew by 149%, the highest rise among global AI products, said Li Bangzhu, founder of Aicpb.com.

Qwen provides users with multimodal AI tools such as deep research, image generation, and slide creation, and is built on Alibaba’s own large language models.

🔗 Source: South China Morning Post

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Growth claims need clearer methods to judge global standing

Aicpb.com, a third-party tracker of AI app usage, lists 149% monthly growth 1. The method is unclear, whether it counts apps only or web usage, or how it compares markets.
Qwen reached 18.34 million monthly active users (MAU) in November and placed top three on Apple’s App Store in China 1. March data put Alibaba’s Quark, an AI mobile browser and search app in China that uses Qwen models, near 150 million MAU worldwide 2.
The “fastest growing globally” claim is hard to judge without a clear view of Aicpb.com’s coverage. Scope across regions and treatment of apps that share tech, like Alibaba’s Qwen app and the Quark browser, matter.

Third-party developers can build on Qwen’s Chinese-language strengths

Ten million downloads in the first week of the beta signal demand for AI tools tuned for Chinese-language tasks that developers can plug into 1.
Alibaba plans at least 380 billion renminbi (RMB) over three years for AI and cloud infrastructure, foundational models, AI-native apps, plus AI across its businesses 1. Alibaba Cloud, the company’s cloud computing arm, holds over one-third of China’s cloud market 2. That scale can aid distribution.
The barrier is access to clear commercial terms. Third-party developers need transparent Application Programming Interface (API) or product pricing and availability to build on Qwen3, the latest generation of Alibaba’s Qwen model family. Recent tools from Alibaba and peers priced at about $1 per year for individuals could change cost assumptions 2.