Claude 3 Sonnet vs MiniMax M2
MiniMax M2 leads the LLM Stats Score 26.8 to 1.7. MiniMax M2 is 11.4x cheaper per token.
Anthropic · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
MiniMax M2 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 26.8 to 1.7, ranking #152 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, MiniMax M2 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, MiniMax M2 is roughly 11.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M2 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Claude 3 Sonnet
- you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output
Choose MiniMax M2
- overall performance matters — it scores 26.8 and ranks #152 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- 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 Oct 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Claude 3 Sonnet · 16 for MiniMax M2
Claude 3 Sonnet outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while MiniMax M2 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro).
MiniMax M2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($3.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than MiniMax M2 ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude 3 Sonnet ($15.00/1M tokens) is 12.5x more expensive than MiniMax M2 ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude 3 Sonnet is more expensive than MiniMax M2.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M2 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude 3 Sonnet's 200,000 tokens. MiniMax M2 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Claude 3 Sonnet is limited to 200,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Claude 3 Sonnet supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2 does not.
Claude 3 Sonnet can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Claude 3 Sonnet
MiniMax M2
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude 3 Sonnet is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M2 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 Sonnet was released on 2024-02-29, while MiniMax M2 was released on 2025-10-27.
MiniMax M2 is 20 months newer than Claude 3 Sonnet.
Feb 29, 2024
2.6 years ago
Oct 27, 2025
11 months ago
1.7yr 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 Sonnet is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. MiniMax M2 is available from MiniMax, Novita.
Claude 3 Sonnet
MiniMax M2
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude 3 Sonnet and MiniMax M2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Claude 3 Sonnet vs MiniMax M2.