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Head-to-head comparison

Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B

Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI) and Qwen3.8 27B (Qwen) 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, Kimi K3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#3 vs #16); Qwen3.8 27B is 4.7× cheaper per output token ($3.20/1M vs $15.00/1M); Kimi K3 offers the longer context window (1M vs 262K tokens); and Qwen3.8 27B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #3 against #16 (81.4 vs 69.6 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 262K.
  • you want provider choice — 12 listed API providers against 3.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.7 against 52.0.

Choose Qwen3.8 27B if…

  • API cost matters — $3.20/1M output tokens against $15.00/1M, about 4.7× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.45/1M against $3.00/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Qwen3.8 27B ships open weights while Kimi K3 is restricted license.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3.8 27B was listed 14 August 2026, Kimi K3 16 July 2026.

Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B
FieldKimi K3Moonshot AIQwen3.8 27BQwen
ModelCap Index position#3#16
Index score81.469.6
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$3.00$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$15.00$3.20
Context window1M tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens1M131K
API providers listed123
Weight accessRestricted licenseOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText, Image, Video
First listed16 July 202614 August 2026
PublisherMoonshot AIQwen

Evidence: 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B

Public benchmark boards where Kimi K3 or Qwen3.8 27B has a published result
BoardKimi K3Qwen3.8 27BLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15431532–1554Max—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena10.6%9.6%–11.6%Max—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation60.4%Max—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis59.7intelligence-index52.0intelligence-indexKimi K3

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.

Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B: common questions

Is Kimi K3 better than Qwen3.8 27B?

Kimi K3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #3 against #16. 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 Kimi K3 cheaper than Qwen3.8 27B?

Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper on output tokens: $3.20/1M against $15.00/1M. Input tokens are $3.00/1M for Kimi K3 and $0.45/1M for Qwen3.8 27B. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Kimi K3 or Qwen3.8 27B?

Kimi K3 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, Kimi K3 or Qwen3.8 27B?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B open-weight models?

Kimi K3: Restricted license. Qwen3.8 27B: Open weights. 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 Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B?

ModelCap currently lists 12 API providers for Kimi K3 and 3 for Qwen3.8 27B, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B 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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