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Head-to-head comparison

MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K2 Thinking

MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) 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 18 August 2026

As of 18 August 2026, MiniMax M3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#22 vs #32); MiniMax M3 is 2.1× cheaper per output token ($1.20/1M vs $2.50/1M); and MiniMax M3 offers the longer context window (1M vs 262K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose MiniMax M3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #22 against #32 (65.4 vs 58.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $1.20/1M output tokens against $2.50/1M, about 2.1× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $0.60/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 262K.
  • you want provider choice — 12 listed API providers against 2.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1497 against 1486.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 45.4 against 33.5.
  • you want the more recently listed model — MiniMax M3 was listed 31 May 2026, Kimi K2 Thinking 6 November 2025.

Choose Kimi K2 Thinking if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which Kimi K2 Thinking leads MiniMax M3 for this pair.

MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K2 Thinking: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of MiniMax M3 and Kimi K2 Thinking
FieldMiniMax M3MiniMaxKimi K2 ThinkingMoonshot AI
ModelCap Index position#22#32
Index score65.458.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$0.60
Output price / 1M tokens$1.20$2.50
Context window1M tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens512K100K
API providers listed122
Weight accessRestricted licenseRestricted license
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText
First listed31 May 20266 November 2025
PublisherMiniMaxMoonshot 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: MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K2 Thinking

Public benchmark boards where MiniMax M3 or Kimi K2 Thinking has a published result
BoardMiniMax M3Kimi K2 ThinkingLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14971490–150414861481–1492TurboMiniMax M3
LMArena AgentLMArena-2.5%-3.4%–-1.7%—Only one result
SWE-benchSWE-bench (Princeton / SWE-agent team)—63.4%ThinkingOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis45.4intelligence-index33.5intelligence-indexMiniMax M3

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.

MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K2 Thinking: common questions

Is MiniMax M3 better than Kimi K2 Thinking?

MiniMax M3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 August 2026: #22 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 MiniMax M3 cheaper than Kimi K2 Thinking?

MiniMax M3 is cheaper on output tokens: $1.20/1M against $2.50/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for MiniMax M3 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, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K2 Thinking?

MiniMax M3 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K2 Thinking?

Arena coding: MiniMax M3 1497, Kimi K2 Thinking 1486 — MiniMax M3 leads.

Are MiniMax M3 and Kimi K2 Thinking open-weight models?

MiniMax M3: Restricted license. 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 MiniMax M3 and Kimi K2 Thinking?

ModelCap currently lists 12 API providers for MiniMax M3 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 MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K2 Thinking comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 18 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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