Tokens vs Alibaba Cloud Qwen API (Model Studio)
Alibaba Model Studio sets Qwen's list prices, with regional rates and input-length tiers. Tokens bills Qwen in BDT beside other providers.
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio sells Qwen pay-as-you-go. On the International (Singapore) deployment, Qwen 3.8 Max is $2 / $6 per million tokens and Qwen 3.8 Flash is $0.15 / $0.47; the Global regions (Frankfurt, Virginia, Tokyo) run about 20% lower, for example $1.65 / $4.951 for 3.8 Max. Some models are tiered by input length, so Qwen 3.7 Plus moves from $0.40 / $1.60 to $1.20 / $4.80 once a request passes 256K tokens. Some models include a free quota in Singapore, valid for 90 days. Model Studio needs an Alibaba Cloud account, a workspace and a region-specific endpoint. Tokens is simpler if Qwen is one of several providers you use and you want one key, a BDT invoice and per-key spend caps. For large Qwen-only workloads, Model Studio's list price is the floor.
Tokens
- Pricing model
- Prepaid plan or USD wallet, paid in BDT; per-model prices in USD and BDT on /models
- Payment methods
- Invoice via billing portal
- Currencies
- USD and BDT
- Model prices
- Live in the model catalog, in BDT and USD
Alibaba Cloud Qwen API (Model Studio)
- Pricing model
- Pay-as-you-go in USD per token; some models tiered by input length; Global regions about 20% below International
- Payment methods
- Alibaba Cloud account billing in USD (pay-as-you-go)
- Prices checked
- 3 Oct 2026, International (Singapore) list prices
- Qwen 3.7 Max (per 1M tokens, in / out)
- $2.50 / $7.50
- Qwen 3.8 Max (per 1M tokens, in / out)
- $2.00 / $6.00
- Qwen 3.8 Flash (per 1M tokens, in / out)
- $0.15 / $0.47
- Qwen 3.7 Plus, 256K to 1M input (per 1M tokens, in / out)
- $1.20 / $4.80
- Qwen 3.7 Plus, up to 256K input (per 1M tokens, in / out)
- $0.40 / $1.60
Side by side
A tick marks the better option for that row. Some rows go to the other side.
| Topic | Tokens | Alibaba Cloud Qwen API (Model Studio) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Set per model by Tokens; see /models | Alibaba's list price, lower again in the Global regions |
| Free quota | Usage needs a plan or wallet balance | Free quota for some models in Singapore, valid 90 days |
| Getting started | Sign in with email or Google, subscribe or top up, create a key | Alibaba Cloud account, Model Studio workspace and a region-specific endpoint |
| Paying from Bangladesh | BDT invoice through the billing portal | USD billing. Bangladesh Bank FE Circular 26 (2019) limits international-card online payments to USD 300 per transaction |
| Providers on one key | Qwen plus Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM and others | Qwen models plus third-party models that Alibaba hosts |
| Spend control | Monthly cap and model allow-list per key; alerts at 50/75/90/100% | Pay-as-you-go on the cloud account |
| Network path | One extra gateway hop | Direct to the model maker, with a choice of regions |
Choose Tokens when
- No Alibaba Cloud account, workspace or regional endpoint to manage.
- Pay a BDT invoice instead of a USD cloud bill.
- Use Qwen beside Claude, GPT, DeepSeek or Kimi with one key and one set of spend caps.
- One setup command configures OpenCode, Claude Code, Codex CLI and Crush.
Choose Alibaba Cloud Qwen API (Model Studio) when
- Model Studio's list price is the floor, and its Global regions are cheaper still.
- No free quota, and no choice of region for where Qwen runs.
- Adds a gateway hop and one more party in the data path (Tokens does not store prompt or response content).
Switch your client
Point the client at Tokens and swap the key. Your code and agent setup stay the same.
bash
# Before: OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://<WorkspaceId>.ap-southeast-1.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1 # OPENAI_API_KEY=$DASHSCOPE_API_KEY, model qwen3.8-max export TOKENS_API_KEY=tok_live_your_key export OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://tokens.bd/v1 export OPENAI_API_KEY=$TOKENS_API_KEY # Qwen ids on Tokens use provider/model form; find them with: curl -s https://tokens.bd/v1/models -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKENS_API_KEY" | grep -i qwen
Other comparisons
- Tokens vsAnthropic API (Claude)Anthropic's API has Claude at list price, a half-price Batch API and first-party tools. Tokens puts Claude next to other providers on one BDT-billed key.
- Tokens vsCommand CodeCommand Code is a coding agent sold with credit plans from $1/month. Tokens is a gateway, paid in BDT, for the agents you already use.
- Tokens vsDeepSeek APIDeepSeek's own API sets the list price for its models and halves it off-peak. Tokens adds BDT billing and other providers on the same key.
- Tokens vsGoogle Gemini APIGoogle's Gemini API has a free tier, Batch at half price and Search grounding. Tokens serves Gemini Flash in OpenAI and Anthropic formats, billed in BDT.
- Tokens vsMoonshot Kimi APIMoonshot sells Kimi K3 and K2.x at flat prices in OpenAI and Anthropic formats. Tokens adds BDT billing and other providers on the same key.
- Tokens vsOpenAI APIOpenAI's API has GPT at list price with Batch and Flex at half price. Tokens puts GPT beside Claude, Gemini and open models on one key billed in BDT.
- Tokens vsOpenCode ZenZen sells tested coding models at cost plus card fees, and OpenCode Go adds $10 and $40 plans. Tokens bills in BDT with one base URL per API format.
- Tokens vsOpenRouterOpenRouter has the larger catalog, free models and fine routing controls. Tokens lets you pay in BDT and sets spend caps and model lists per key.
- Tokens vsZ.ai GLM APIZ.ai sells GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3 Flash at flat list prices, plus a GLM Coding Plan from $18/month. Tokens bills GLM in BDT beside other providers.