Skip to content
ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

MiniMax M3 vs o3

MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) and o3 (OpenAI) 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 #37); MiniMax M3 is 6.7× cheaper per output token ($1.20/1M vs $8.00/1M); and MiniMax M3 offers the longer context window (1M vs 200K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose MiniMax M3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #22 against #37 (65.4 vs 55.1 points).
  • API cost matters — $1.20/1M output tokens against $8.00/1M, about 6.7× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $2.00/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 200K.
  • you want provider choice — 12 listed API providers against 1.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1497 against 1460.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 45.4 against 31.1.
  • you want the more recently listed model — MiniMax M3 was listed 31 May 2026, o3 16 April 2025.

Choose o3 if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which o3 leads MiniMax M3 for this pair.

MiniMax M3 vs o3: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of MiniMax M3 and o3
FieldMiniMax M3MiniMaxo3OpenAI
ModelCap Index position#22#37
Index score65.455.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$2.00
Output price / 1M tokens$1.20$8.00
Context window1M tokens200K tokens
Max output tokens512K100K
API providers listed121
Weight accessRestricted licenseAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoImage, Text, File
First listed31 May 202616 April 2025
PublisherMiniMaxOpenAI

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

Benchmark scores: MiniMax M3 vs o3

Public benchmark boards where MiniMax M3 or o3 has a published result
BoardMiniMax M3o3Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14971490–150414601453–1466MiniMax M3
LMArena AgentLMArena-2.5%-3.4%–-1.7%—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—6.5%HighOnly one result
SWE-benchSWE-bench (Princeton / SWE-agent team)—58.4%Only one result
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)—63.1PromptOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis45.4intelligence-index31.1intelligence-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 o3: common questions

Is MiniMax M3 better than o3?

MiniMax M3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 August 2026: #22 against #37. 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 o3?

MiniMax M3 is cheaper on output tokens: $1.20/1M against $8.00/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for MiniMax M3 and $2.00/1M for o3. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, MiniMax M3 or o3?

MiniMax M3 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 200K.

Which is better for coding, MiniMax M3 or o3?

Arena coding: MiniMax M3 1497, o3 1460 — MiniMax M3 leads.

Are MiniMax M3 and o3 open-weight models?

MiniMax M3: Restricted license. o3: API only. 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 o3?

ModelCap currently lists 12 API providers for MiniMax M3 and 1 for o3, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this MiniMax M3 vs o3 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.

Explore further