Model Comparison
Claude 3.7 Sonnet vs MiniMax M2.1Which is better in 2026?
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. MiniMax M2.1 is 11.4x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude 3.7 Sonnet vs MiniMax M2.1 — which is better?
Claude 3.7 Sonnet (by Anthropic) and MiniMax M2.1 (by MiniMax) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified), while MiniMax M2.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, Terminal-Bench). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
On price, MiniMax M2.1 is roughly 11.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M2.1 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude 3.7 Sonnet if…
- you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Choose MiniMax M2.1 if…
- cost matters — it's about 11.4x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude 3.7 Sonnet outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, SWE-Bench Verified), while MiniMax M2.1 is better at 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, Terminal-Bench).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3.7 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than MiniMax M2.1 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3.7 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than MiniMax M2.1 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3.7 Sonnet is more expensive than MiniMax M2.1.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M2.1 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude 3.7 Sonnet's 200,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.1 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Claude 3.7 Sonnet is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Claude 3.7 Sonnet supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.1 does not.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet
MiniMax M2.1
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude 3.7 Sonnet is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2.1 uses MIT.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
MIT
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude 3.7 Sonnet was released on 2025-02-24, while MiniMax M2.1 was released on 2025-12-23.
MiniMax M2.1 is 10 months newer than Claude 3.7 Sonnet.
Feb 24, 2025
1.4 years ago
Dec 23, 2025
6 months ago
10mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude 3.7 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. MiniMax M2.1 is available from MiniMax.
Claude 3.7 Sonnet
MiniMax M2.1
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude 3.7 Sonnet
View detailsAnthropic
MiniMax M2.1
View detailsMiniMax
Claude 3.7 SonnetMiniMax M2.1Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3.7 Sonnet and MiniMax M2.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3.7 Sonnet vs MiniMax M2.1.