The Most Common Questions First
- Is Dola available outside China? In Taiwan’s App Store, Dola is listed. The store page shows it as a free download with Traditional Chinese support, and the developer is SPRING(SG)PTE.LTD.
- Can I download Chinese AI apps in Taiwan? In Taiwan’s App Store, DeepSeek, 千問 (Qianwen), Qwen Studio, Kimi, 智譜清言 (Zhipu Qingyan), and Dola all have pages. The Doubao app’s Taiwan URL returns a 404, and it is listed in China’s App Store.
- How do I choose between DeepSeek, Qwen, and Doubao? To download a model and run it yourself, pick DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 or the Qwen3.8 series, since both have open weights. To use Doubao, go through the Doubao app in China’s App Store or the Volcano Engine API.
Five Chinese AI Models in One Table
The five differ mainly in the company behind them, whether the model weights are open, and the official app’s name and Taiwan App Store status. The table below compares them first, and the sections after it cover each one’s current flagship models. DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, the Qwen3.8 series, Kimi K3.1 Pro, and GLM-5.3 all have downloadable weights, while Doubao’s official pages do not list a weights download.
In the table, “open weights” means the model files are open for anyone to download.
| Model | Company | Open weights | Current flagship models | Taiwan App Store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek | DeepSeek (Hangzhou) | Yes (V4.1-Flash-1017) | V4.1-Flash-1017, V4-Pro | Listed |
| Qwen / 千問 (Qianwen) | Alibaba | Yes (Qwen3.8 series, several sizes) | Qwen3.8 series, cloud-hosted Qwen3.8-Max | 千問 (Qianwen) and Qwen Studio both listed |
| Kimi | Moonshot AI (Beijing) | Yes (K3.1 Pro) | K3.1 Pro | Listed |
| GLM | Zhipu Z.ai (Beijing) | Yes (GLM-5.3) | GLM-5.3 | Listed (智譜清言, Zhipu Qingyan) |
| Doubao | ByteDance | No download listed on official pages | Doubao-Seed-2.1 (Pro, Turbo, Lite) | Doubao’s Taiwan URL returns a 404, Dola is listed |
This table was compiled on November 14, 2026. The “Taiwan App Store” column only means the iPhone app can be downloaded. It does not mean sign-in, payment, or every feature works in Taiwan.
Each Company’s Current Flagship Models
These companies update quickly. What follows is the state of their official pages on November 14, 2026.
- DeepSeek: The official website and app were updated to DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 on October 17, under the MIT license. V4-Pro is still available.
- Qwen: The open-weight Qwen3.8 series was released in August. Qwen3.8-27B uses the Apache-2.0 license, and Qwen3.8-2.4T-A95B has 2.4T (2.4 trillion) parameters. The cloud-hosted Qwen3.8-Max is listed among the recommended models in Alibaba Cloud Model Studio.
- Kimi: The current model is K3.1 Pro. Its weights are public on Hugging Face under the custom Kimi K3.1 Pro license.
- GLM: GLM-5.3 is Z.ai’s current flagship, with weights public on Hugging Face. The chat.z.ai web version uses GLM-5.3-Flash.
- Doubao: ByteDance’s in-house Doubao-Seed-2.1 series, with Pro, Turbo, and Lite versions on Volcano Engine.
Open Weights vs. Using an App
Open weights means the model files are open for anyone to download and run on their own computer. With an app or the web version, your content is usually processed on the provider’s servers (check each company’s privacy terms for specifics). Running the weights yourself keeps your data on your own machine, at the cost of needing capable hardware and some technical background.
Licenses differ from company to company. If you want to use a model commercially, read the license on that model’s page first. For how companies that open their weights make money, see Mistral’s two-track open-weight strategy.
Doubao’s official pages do not list a weights download.
What Each of the Five Is
- DeepSeek: A model family from DeepSeek in Hangzhou, with an official website, app, and API, plus downloadable model weights.
- Qwen / 千問 (Qianwen): Alibaba’s model family. The China version of the app is called 千問 (Qianwen), and the international version is called Qwen Studio in Taiwan’s App Store.
- Kimi: An AI assistant from Moonshot AI in Beijing.
- GLM: Zhipu’s (Z.ai) model series. Its Chinese-language app is called 智譜清言 (Zhipu Qingyan).
- Doubao: ByteDance’s AI assistant and model family, with the app listed in China’s App Store.
For background on chips and export controls, see Chip War 101.
How to Spot the Official App in the App Store
Popular AI apps often attract knockoffs. The store may have apps with similar names, and a developer name that does not match is a sign of an imitation.
Before downloading, open the app page and check that the “Developer” shown under the app name matches the list below (iPhone data as of November 14, 2026):
- DeepSeek: 杭州深度求索人工智能基础技术研究有限公司 (the store shows it in Simplified Chinese)
- 千問 (Qianwen) (China version): Shanghai Zhixin Puhui
- Qwen Studio (international version): NTH POWER GLOBAL TECH SINGAPORE PTE. LTD
- Kimi: Moonshot AI
- 智譜清言 (Zhipu Qingyan): Beijing Knowledge Atlas Technology Joint Stock Company Limited
- Dola: SPRING(SG)PTE.LTD.
You can also reach them from the official sites: kimi.com, chat.z.ai, and dola.com. Google Play was not checked this time, so Android users should also check the developer name first.
Penchan’s Take
Putting the five side by side, the biggest dividing lines are two things: whether the model weights are open, and whether the app can be downloaded in Taiwan’s App Store.
For developers who want to host a model themselves, DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, the Qwen3.8 series, Kimi K3.1 Pro, and GLM-5.3 all have open weights, so compare their licenses first. For everyday users, read an app’s privacy terms before installing it on your phone. Taiwan’s App Store has Dola, while the Doubao app was only found on China’s App Store. Avoid any app whose developer name does not match the list above.
This article is consumer information on Chinese AI models and apps. It is not securities or investment advice. Model versions and listing status change often, and the information here is current as of November 14, 2026.