Free Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API Key, Base URL & Rate Limits
Model ProviderAlibaba Cloud Model Studio (DashScope) is the official API platform for Qwen models from Alibaba Cloud.
How to get a free Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API key
- 1 Sign up at bailian.console.alibabacloud.com International account with email or phone. No credit card.
- 2 Go to API Keys → Create API Key
- 3 Set up DashScope access Enable Model Studio services in the console.
- 4 Choose a model Qwen3-Plus for general use. Qwen3-Coder-Plus for code. QwQ-Plus for reasoning.
- 5 Configure OpenAI client Base URL: https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
Provider Snapshot
Supported Models 5 models
View in directory →| Model ID | Developer | Context | Availability | Free Tier | Use cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen3-max Qwen3-Max | Alibaba | 128K | Check provider | Yes | chat |
| qwen3-plus Qwen3-Plus | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | 1.0M | Check provider | Yes | chat |
| qwq-plus QwQ-Plus | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | 131K | Check provider | Yes | chat |
| qwen3-vl-plus Qwen3-VL-Plus | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | 128K | Check provider | Yes | chat |
| qwen3-coder-plus Qwen3-Coder-Plus | Alibaba Cloud Model Studio | 256K | Check provider | Yes | chatcoding |
Developer Tools
Related Providers
View all →Alibaba Cloud Model Studio FreeLLM Score free API access score
How we score →What is Alibaba Cloud Model Studio?
Alibaba's official Qwen3 API — 1M context, tiered by region.
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (DashScope) is the official API platform for Qwen models from Alibaba Cloud. The international edition provides free access to Qwen3-Max, Qwen3-Plus, Qwen3-VL-Plus, Qwen3-Coder-Plus, and QwQ-Plus with tiered rate limits by region. Includes Qwen3's 1M-token context window on select models. OpenAI-compatible endpoint available.
- Official Qwen3 models from Alibaba
- Up to 1M context window (Qwen3-Plus)
- Qwen3-Coder-Plus for code generation
- QwQ-Plus for reasoning tasks
API Compatibility: OpenAI SDK-compatible (Chat Completions) via compatible-mode endpoint
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio Free Tier Limits & Pricing
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio API Setup Tutorials
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio is fully compatible with popular AI coding assistants like Cursor, Claude Code, and more. To see step-by-step API configuration instructions for your favorite tool, please visit our Global Configuration Guide →
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio Model Use Cases
What Alibaba Cloud Model Studio's free models are best for, based on aggregated model capabilities:
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio Limitations & Caveats
- Rate limits tiered by region — harder for non-Asia users
- Requires Alibaba Cloud account registration
- API quota varies by country and usage history
Alibaba Cloud Model Studio FAQ
What's the difference between Alibaba Cloud Model Studio and ModelScope?
Both are Alibaba platforms, but Model Studio (DashScope) is the production API with OpenAI-compatible endpoint and higher rate limits. ModelScope is the community model hub with lower limits and China-hosted servers.
Does Alibaba Cloud Model Studio work outside China?
Yes — the international edition (dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com) is designed for global access. Registration requires an Alibaba Cloud account (international phone works), but rate limits may be lower outside Asia.
Which Qwen3 model should I use for coding?
Qwen3-Coder-Plus is the dedicated coding model with 256K context. For general tasks with code mixed in, Qwen3-Plus (1M context) is a good all-rounder. QwQ-Plus is best for complex reasoning and math.