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Head-to-head comparison

Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 Flash

Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI) and Qwen3.8 Flash (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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Kimi K3 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#6 vs #17); and Qwen3.8 Flash is 31.9× cheaper per output token ($0.47/1M vs $15.00/1M).

Which should you choose?

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #6 against #17 (81.4 vs 72.1 points).
  • you want provider choice — 15 listed API providers against 1.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 59.7 against 55.8.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 46.9% against 38.0%.

Choose Qwen3.8 Flash if…

  • API cost matters — $0.47/1M output tokens against $15.00/1M, about 31.9× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.15/1M against $3.00/1M.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 86.1% against 85.0%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Qwen3.8 Flash was listed 26 August 2026, Kimi K3 16 July 2026.

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

Specification comparison of Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 Flash
FieldKimi K3Moonshot AIQwen3.8 FlashQwen
ModelCap Index position#6#17
Index score81.472.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$3.00$0.15
Output price / 1M tokens$15.00$0.47
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens944K131K
API providers listed151
Weight accessRestricted licenseRestricted license
Input modalitiesText, Image, VideoText, Image, Video
First listed16 July 202626 August 2026
PublisherMoonshot AIQwen

Evidence: 6 public benchmark observations across 6 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 Flash

Public benchmark boards where Kimi K3 or Qwen3.8 Flash has a published result
BoardKimi K3Qwen3.8 FlashLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)15421533–1551Max—Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena8.7%8.1%–9.4%Max—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation60.4%Max—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis59.7intelligence-index55.8intelligence-indexKimi K3
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis85.0%terminal-bench-2.186.1%terminal-bench-2.1Qwen3.8 Flash
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis46.9%humanitys-last-exam38.0%humanitys-last-examKimi K3
WildClawBench OpenClawWildClawBench54.5—Only one result

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 Flash: common questions

Is Kimi K3 better than Qwen3.8 Flash?

Kimi K3 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #6 against #17. 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 Flash?

Qwen3.8 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $0.47/1M against $15.00/1M. Input tokens are $3.00/1M for Kimi K3 and $0.15/1M for Qwen3.8 Flash. 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 Flash?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

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

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Kimi K3 85.0%, Qwen3.8 Flash 86.1% — Qwen3.8 Flash leads.

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

Kimi K3: Restricted license. Qwen3.8 Flash: 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 Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 Flash?

ModelCap currently lists 15 API providers for Kimi K3 and 1 for Qwen3.8 Flash, 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 Flash comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 September 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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