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The Best Chinese AI App, And The Chinese Models That Plug Straight Into Your Agent OS
The best Chinese AI app is Qwen Chat from Alibaba, because it is free in English and runs Qwen 3.8, the highest-scoring Chinese model on GoldieBench at 8.10.
DeepSeek is my second pick, and Kimi from Moonshot AI is my third.
I have wired seven Chinese models into my own Agent OS, so this ranking also tells you which ones plug in and which job to give each one.
Here is the ranked list first, then a six-step quick-start for adding these brains to your own system.
The best Chinese AI app, ranked for Agent OS users
Here is the full ranking, with the model behind each app and whether that model plugs into an Agent OS.
| Rank | App | Maker | Model behind it | Plugs into an Agent OS? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qwen Chat | Alibaba | Qwen 3.8 (8.10 on GoldieBench) | Yes, I run qwen3.8-max as a profile through OpenRouter. |
| 2 | DeepSeek | DeepSeek | V4.1-Flash (not scored yet) | Yes, it works through the official DeepSeek API. |
| 3 | Kimi | Moonshot AI | Kimi K3 (7.89) | Yes, K3 is included in the Kimi coding plan. |
| 4 | Z.ai Chat | Zhipu | GLM-5.3-Flash in the app, GLM-5.2 benched at 7.77 | Yes, it works through the Z.ai coding plan. |
| 5 | MiniMax Agent and Hailuo | MiniMax | MiniMax M3 (7.97) and H3 video | Yes, M3 runs as a Hermes brain and H3 makes video. |
| 6 | LongCat | Meituan | LongCat-2.0 (8.12 on four tasks) | Yes, the weights are open. |
| 7 | MiMo Studio | Xiaomi | MiMo-V2.6 Pro (6.35) | Yes, Pro and Flash run as profiles through OpenRouter. |
| 8 | Yuanbao | Tencent | Hunyuan and DeepSeek (Hy3 at 6.76 on seven tasks) | The app does not, but Hy3 does through OpenRouter. |
| 9 | Doubao and Dola | ByteDance | Not benched | I have not wired ByteDance's models in. |
| 10 | Wenxin Assistant | Baidu | ERNIE 5.1 (not benched) | I have not wired ERNIE in yet. |
The GoldieBench numbers are the live averages on 9 October 2026, and the board scores models on one-shot builds rather than chat.
I put Qwen first because it is the strongest fully tested Chinese model and the app is free in English.
DeepSeek is second because it is free and very cheap to run, even though its new V4.1 models are not scored yet.
Kimi is third because K3 is a strong all-rounder and it comes included in a plan many builders already pay for.
What a Chinese AI app is, and why the model matters more
A Chinese AI app is a chat assistant built by a Chinese company, such as Alibaba, DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Zhipu or ByteDance.
The app is the front door, and the model behind it is the brain.
In an Agent OS, you mostly use the brain rather than the app.
That is why I judge these apps partly on whether their model can run inside my own system.
An app you cannot connect to anything is fine for chatting, but it cannot do jobs for you in the background.
🔥 Want the exact Chinese AI models in the Agent OS setup I run inside my Agent OS?
Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get the installable Agent OS, step-by-step video tutorials, four coaching calls a week and 3,400+ members building real automations.
Quick-start: plug a Chinese model into your Agent OS
This is the six-step route I use, and it works with any OS that supports model profiles, including Hermes.
| Step | What you do | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open chat.qwen.ai and try one real task in the free app. | You see the model's quality before you spend anything. |
| 2 | Create an OpenRouter account, which is one key that reaches hundreds of models. | You can reach Qwen, MiMo and Hy3 without separate sign-ups. |
| 3 | Make a new profile in your Agent OS and point it at the model, such as qwen/qwen3.8-max. | A new brain chip appears in your chat. |
| 4 | Add a DeepSeek API key as a second profile for cheap long-running jobs. | You have a low-cost brain for agent loops. |
| 5 | Add Kimi through the coding plan if you already pay for it. | You get K3 with no per-token bill. |
| 6 | Send the same task to each profile and compare the results. | You learn which brain is best for each kind of job. |
In my Agent OS, a profile is a small text file that says which model to use and where its memory lives.
Once it exists, the same chip works everywhere, from the chat window to the kanban board and the bench.
The full Qwen walkthrough is in the Open Source Qwen Machine guide.
Which Chinese model to give each job
The trick is not picking one winner, but giving each brain the job it is best at.
| Agent OS job | Best Chinese model for it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Main coding brain | Qwen 3.8 | It scores 8.10, the highest of any fully tested Chinese model on GoldieBench. |
| Long-running agent loops | DeepSeek | It is cheap, and cache hits made each repeated step in my V4 Pro test cost $0.00009. |
| Research and big documents | Kimi K3 | It has a context window of around one million tokens and scores 7.89. |
| Automation and tool calls | MiniMax M3 | It scores 7.97, and I use it with Hermes for automations. |
| Self-hosted fallback | GLM or LongCat | Both have open weights, so you can run them where you choose. |
| Cheap background tasks | MiMo-V2.6 Flash or Hy3 | Both cost cents per million tokens. |
| Video for content | MiniMax H3 in Hailuo | It turns one line of text into a 2K clip with sound. |
That routing is how I keep costs low without giving up quality.
The hard thinking goes to the strongest brain, and the boring repeat work goes to the cheapest one.
The top three apps in more detail
Qwen Chat by Alibaba
Qwen Chat is free on the web at chat.qwen.ai and works in English.
I plugged Qwen 3.8 Max into my Agent OS as one profile chip, and it answered in my chat, took kanban tickets and built 47 games and simulations on the bench.
Alibaba also opened an English international edition of its QwenWork workplace agent in public beta on 26 August 2026, according to several tech news reports.
DeepSeek by DeepSeek
DeepSeek released V4.1-Flash on 10 September 2026, with open weights under the MIT licence and native image understanding.
DeepSeek also said it would route V4-Pro requests to V4.1-Flash from 14 September until a V4.1-Pro arrives.
My Hermes and DeepSeek guide shows the two-minute profile setup I used with the earlier Flash build.
Kimi by Moonshot AI
Kimi's web app now runs K3 and includes Slides, Deep Research, Docs, Scheduled tasks and Plugins.
I wired K3 into the Agent OS on launch day, and the full story is in the Kimi K3 Machine guide.
🔥 Want the exact Chinese AI models in the Agent OS setup I run inside my Agent OS?
Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get the installable Agent OS, step-by-step video tutorials, four coaching calls a week and 3,400+ members building real automations.
The rest of the list, and where each one fits
Z.ai's free chat runs GLM-5.3-Flash, and my GLM 5.3 and Hermes guide shows it working on a flat coding plan.
MiniMax runs MiniMax Agent and the Hailuo video app, and H3 is the best Chinese video model I have tested.
LongCat is Meituan's free chat, and in my LongCat-2.0 test it built all four of my 3D game prompts into playable worlds.
MiMo Studio is Xiaomi's app, and my MiMo-V2.6 guide shows Pro building a neon snake game in 8 minutes and 28 seconds.
Yuanbao is Tencent's WeChat assistant, while Tencent's open Hy3 coder is the part you can wire in, as shown in my Hy3 guide.
Doubao is ByteDance's assistant in China, and its overseas app Dola, formerly called Cici, is reported to be unavailable in some markets, including the United States.
Baidu's Wenxin Assistant runs ERNIE models, and ERNIE 5.1 was released in May 2026.
How to choose the best Chinese AI app for your workflow
Pick Qwen Chat if you want one free app and a main coding brain you can later move into your Agent OS.
Pick DeepSeek if your agents run long loops and you want the lowest possible bill.
Pick Kimi if you already pay for the Kimi coding plan, because K3 comes included.
Pick Z.ai or LongCat if you want open weights you can host yourself later.
Pick MiniMax if your content workflow needs video as well as text.
Skip Yuanbao, Doubao and Baidu's assistant for agent work unless you read Chinese, because they are built for users inside China.
Common mistakes when adding Chinese models to an Agent OS
The first mistake is testing a model with one easy prompt and calling it good or bad.
Run the same real task through two or three brains, because that is the only fair comparison.
The second mistake is trusting a model name, because the build behind it can change, as DeepSeek's September switch from V4-Pro to V4.1-Flash showed.
The third mistake is sending private client files to a hosted API without reading the provider's data terms.
The fourth mistake is giving every job to the most expensive brain, when a cheap one would do the repeat work just as well.
Privacy and data: the honest part
DeepSeek's privacy policy says user data is stored on servers in China.
Several governments have restricted DeepSeek on official devices, including Australia in February 2025.
So I never paste client data, logins or private files into any consumer chat app, Chinese or otherwise.
The big advantage of an Agent OS is that you choose where the brain runs.
If you use open weights on your own machine, your data does not leave your computer at all.
If you use an API through a provider, read that provider's data terms before you send anything sensitive.
Tips from running Chinese models inside my Agent OS
Use dated model builds when you test, because the model behind a name can change without warning.
Give cheap models clearer instructions, because Hy3 went from broken builds to an 8.2 DOOM game once I improved the prompt.
Keep one strong brain for planning and let cheaper brains do the repeat work.
Re-test whenever a new version lands, because DeepSeek, Qwen and Kimi all ship updates fast.
Also On Our Network
FAQ
What is the best Chinese AI app?
Qwen Chat from Alibaba is the best Chinese AI app in 2026. It is free on the web in English, and the Qwen 3.8 model family behind it scores 8.10 on GoldieBench, the highest of any fully tested Chinese model.
Which Chinese AI models can I plug into an Agent OS?
I run Qwen 3.8 Max, DeepSeek, Kimi K3, GLM, MiniMax M3, MiMo-V2.6 and Hy3 inside my Agent OS as separate model profiles. Qwen, MiMo and Hy3 go through OpenRouter, DeepSeek uses its own API, and Kimi and GLM use their coding plans.
Is DeepSeek on GoldieBench?
DeepSeek V4 Flash and V4 Pro are listed on GoldieBench but are currently unranked, and the new V4.1-Flash has not been scored yet. I rank DeepSeek second for its price and reach, not for a bench score.
Are Chinese AI apps safe for business data?
Treat them like any free consumer app and keep client data, passwords and private files out. DeepSeek's privacy policy says data is stored in China. For sensitive work, run the open-weight models on your own machine inside your Agent OS.
Can I use Doubao in my Agent OS?
Not in my setup. Doubao is built for China, its overseas app Dola is a separate product, and I have not benched or wired in ByteDance's models.
Final word on the best Chinese AI app
Start with Qwen Chat in the browser, then add Qwen, DeepSeek and Kimi as profiles in your Agent OS.
Route each job to the right brain, keep private data local, and you will get the most out of the best Chinese AI app.
About Julian
I'm Julian Goldie, an AI entrepreneur, SEO expert and the founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.
I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.
My YouTube channel has 400,000+ subscribers, and I run Goldie Agency, a seven-figure SEO agency.
Related guides on agentos.guide
→ The Open Source Qwen Machine
→ Hermes + DeepSeek: The Flash Agent Stack
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