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Qwen Via Claude Code

4 min read

Qwen Via Claude Code

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXWazKnuZNQ The video introduces Qwen3-Coder, a new AI coding model from Qwen, and its associated terminal coding agent, Qwen Code, as an affordable alternative to expensive AI coding tools like Claude Code and Cursor Pro. 1. The Problem: Expensive AI Coding Tools The video begins by highlighting the high costs of popular AI coding solutions:

  • Claude Code: Max plan costs $100/month.
  • Cursor Pro: Costs $20/month. These prices are deemed “too expensive” and “not everyone can afford this.”

2. Qwen’s Solution: Qwen3-Coder and Qwen Code Qwen recently launched the Qwen3-Coder model, which is claimed to be “as good as Claude Sonnet 4.” Alongside this, they released their terminal coder, Qwen Code, offering an affordable (or even free) way to access powerful AI coding. 3. Qwen Code Installation and Free Tier

  • Installation: Qwen Code can be easily installed from npm (npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest) or from source.
  • Authentication: Users authenticate via Qwen OAuth through their browser, which then logs them into the terminal.
  • Free Daily Runs: Qwen announced on August 8th that they are providing 2,000 free Qwen Code runs every day without token limits, making it a “really generous” offer for many users.

4. Qwen Code Interface and Feature Comparison with Claude Code

  • Interface Similarity: The Qwen Code interface is very similar to Claude Code, being built on the Gemini CLI. The speaker notes that core functionalities, including the context file (QWEN.md vs. CLAUDE.md/GEMINI.md) and MCP server integration, are largely unchanged from the Gemini CLI base.
  • Feature Discrepancy: Claude Code currently boasts more advanced features like “Claude Code hooks,” “custom slash commands,” and “sub-agents,” which Qwen Code lacks.

5. Qwen3-Coder Model Performance

  • The Qwen3-Coder model (released July 2025) is praised as a “really, really great model” and the speaker has personally tested it in workflows, finding it “pretty great.”
  • LM Arena Benchmarks: Performance benchmarks show Qwen3-Coder (score 1363) is “on par with Claude Sonnet 4” (score 1359) in coding tasks. This makes the 2,000 free daily runs of Qwen Code a “really, really great offer” for users who find Claude Code or Cursor Pro too expensive.

6. Practical Demonstration: Building a DaisyUI Music Player The video demonstrates building a mobile music player prototype using DaisyUI components with both Claude Code and Qwen Code, leveraging an external “Context7 MCP server” for documentation.

  • Initial Prototype Request: Both models were asked to pull information about DaisyUI and then build a simple HTML music player prototype. Claude Code: Produced a functional, colorful, and “really good” simple UI. Qwen Code: Also produced a functional player, but opted for a single-screen layout instead of separate screens, which the speaker felt required a more detailed Product Requirements Document (PRD).
  • Implementing Navigation Flow: A detailed navigation flow was then given to both models. Claude Code: “Messed things up a little bit,” resulting in a UI layout that “isn’t implemented properly.” The speaker attributes this to the models not being natively trained on DaisyUI components in the same way they might be on Shadcn or simple HTML. Qwen Code: “Kept it the same” and produced similar results as the initial attempt, also failing to properly implement the DaisyUI layout for the complex navigation. This highlights a limitation for both models when dealing with specific UI libraries they aren’t extensively trained on.

7. Leveraging Qwen3-Coder with Claude Code via Claude Code Router Despite Qwen Code’s current feature limitations compared to Claude Code, the video introduces a powerful solution: Claude Code Router.

  • Functionality: This open-source tool (found on GitHub: musistudio/claude-code-router) allows users to integrate any LLM provider with Claude Code via API keys, effectively allowing Claude Code to use different models.
  • Providers: The config.json file for Claude Code Router shows support for various models including OpenRouter (which hosts qwen/qwen3-coder:free), DeepSeek, Ollama (local models), Gemini, and more.
  • Installation & Setup: Ensure Claude Code is installed. Install Claude Code Router: npm install -g @musistudio/claude-code-router. Configure ~/.claude-code-router/config.json (or use the intuitive ccr ui web-based interface). Add qwen/qwen3-coder:free as a model under an “openrouter” provider, using the OpenRouter API key. Run Claude Code using the router: ccr code.
  • Result: By using Claude Code Router, users can now leverage the powerful and free Qwen3-Coder model within the more feature-rich Claude Code environment, getting approximately 1,000 free requests per day.

The video concludes by emphasizing that this setup provides a robust and free way to access high-quality AI coding assistance.

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