Alibaba's coding AI agent, Qoder, has introduced a new mode called Fast, designed for handling everyday tasks that require prompt results. The company announced on October 10th that this new tier is available in Qoder desktop application version 0.4.4 and later, for both individual and enterprise users, across both Chinese and international versions, according to IT Home.
The Fast mode is characterized by a first response time of approximately three seconds, high output quality, and a credit usage rate of 0.8x. In the Chinese version, Fast is added as an additional option alongside existing ones. Meanwhile, in the international version, it replaces the previous Performance tier rather than being placed next to it.
For international users, this change means the availability of a faster and more economical tier without compromising quality. The first response time has been reduced from about eight seconds to three, and the credit coefficient has decreased from 1.1x to 0.8x, representing an approximate saving of 27%. Qoder asserts that the output quality remains the same as Performance, and users on the old tier are automatically migrated to the new mode without needing any action from them.
Qoder also published first response time metrics for its other tiers. According to the company's own measurements, Fast at three seconds compares to 7.9 seconds for Performance on the international version, 9.8 seconds for Auto, and 13 seconds for Ultimate on the international version. This positions Fast at less than one-third the time of Auto and approximately one-quarter the time of Ultimate.
The company conducted its own comparative test against the fast modes of competing coding tools. In this self-reported testing, which covered ten common developer tasks, Qoder stated that it completed tasks in approximately one-third the time compared to comparable domestic products and approximately one-quarter the time compared to comparable foreign products. The names of the tested products were not disclosed, and the resulting figures have not undergone independent verification.
The example tasks presented in the announcement were relatively simple: drafting a brief travel itinerary took about one second, and converting a daily work log into a plan for the next day took about four seconds. Qoder reported that other products in the Qoder family will soon add the Fast mode, but no exact timeline was provided. This tier is aimed at routine, quick work, while slower tiers like Ultimate remain available for more complex tasks.
