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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 4 31B vs Kimi K2 Thinking

Gemma 4 31B (Google) and Kimi K2 Thinking (Moonshot AI) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Gemma 4 31B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#30 vs #32); Gemma 4 31B is 7.4× cheaper per output token ($0.34/1M vs $2.50/1M); and Gemma 4 31B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #30 against #32 (60.0 vs 58.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.34/1M output tokens against $2.50/1M, about 7.4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.10/1M against $0.60/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Gemma 4 31B ships open weights while Kimi K2 Thinking is restricted license.
  • you want provider choice — 16 listed API providers against 2.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1499 against 1486.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemma 4 31B was listed 2 April 2026, Kimi K2 Thinking 6 November 2025.

Choose Kimi K2 Thinking if…

  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 33.5 against 29.7.

Gemma 4 31B vs Kimi K2 Thinking: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 4 31B and Kimi K2 Thinking
FieldGemma 4 31BGoogleKimi K2 ThinkingMoonshot AI
ModelCap Index position#30#32
Index score60.058.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.10$0.60
Output price / 1M tokens$0.34$2.50
Context window262K tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens262K100K
API providers listed162
Weight accessOpen weightsRestricted license
Input modalitiesImage, Text, VideoText
First listed2 April 20266 November 2025
PublisherGoogleMoonshot AI

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards · 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 4 31B vs Kimi K2 Thinking

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 4 31B or Kimi K2 Thinking has a published result
BoardGemma 4 31BKimi K2 ThinkingLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14991483–151414861481–1492TurboGemma 4 31B
LMArena AgentLMArena-18.9%-21.7%–-16.0%—Only one result
SWE-benchSWE-bench (Princeton / SWE-agent team)—63.4%ThinkingOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis29.7intelligence-index33.5intelligence-indexKimi K2 Thinking

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemma 4 31B vs Kimi K2 Thinking: common questions

Is Gemma 4 31B better than Kimi K2 Thinking?

Gemma 4 31B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #30 against #32. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is Gemma 4 31B cheaper than Kimi K2 Thinking?

Gemma 4 31B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.34/1M against $2.50/1M. Input tokens are $0.10/1M for Gemma 4 31B and $0.60/1M for Kimi K2 Thinking. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 4 31B or Kimi K2 Thinking?

Both publish a 262K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 4 31B or Kimi K2 Thinking?

Arena coding: Gemma 4 31B 1499, Kimi K2 Thinking 1486 — Gemma 4 31B leads.

Are Gemma 4 31B and Kimi K2 Thinking open-weight models?

Gemma 4 31B: Open weights. Kimi K2 Thinking: Restricted license. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemma 4 31B and Kimi K2 Thinking?

ModelCap currently lists 16 API providers for Gemma 4 31B and 2 for Kimi K2 Thinking, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 4 31B vs Kimi K2 Thinking comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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