Model Comparison

Claude Opus 4.5 vs MiniMax M3Which is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. MiniMax M3 is 9.5x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Claude Opus 4.5 vs MiniMax M3 — which is better?

Claude Opus 4.5 (by Anthropic) and MiniMax M3 (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 Opus 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified), while MiniMax M3 is better at 1 benchmark (MCP Atlas). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

On price, MiniMax M3 is roughly 9.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

MiniMax M3 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Claude Opus 4.5 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output

Choose MiniMax M3 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 9.5x 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 Jun 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Want to compare interactively?Try the playground

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Claude Opus 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Verified), while MiniMax M3 is better at 1 benchmark (MCP Atlas).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M3 costs less

For input processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 8.3x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($0.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Opus 4.5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 10.4x more expensive than MiniMax M3 ($2.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.5 is more expensive than MiniMax M3.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$25.00
Best providerAnthropic
MiniMax
MiniMax M3
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$2.40
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

MiniMax M3 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Claude Opus 4.5's 200,000 tokens. MiniMax M3 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.5 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M3
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Opus 4.5 and MiniMax M3 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude Opus 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

MiniMax M3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Claude Opus 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while MiniMax M3 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Claude Opus 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

MiniMax M3

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Opus 4.5 was released on 2025-11-24, while MiniMax M3 was released on 2026-06-01.

MiniMax M3 is 6 months newer than Claude Opus 4.5.

Claude Opus 4.5

Nov 24, 2025

6 months ago

MiniMax M3

Jun 1, 2026

1 weeks ago

6mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Claude Opus 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-31, while MiniMax M3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Claude Opus 4.5's training data extends to 2025-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without MiniMax M3's cutoff date.

Claude Opus 4.5

Mar 2025

MiniMax M3

—

Provider Availability

Claude Opus 4.5 is available from Anthropic. MiniMax M3 is available from MiniMax.

Claude Opus 4.5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $25.00/1M

MiniMax M3

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (80.9% vs 80.5%)
MiniMax
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher MCP Atlas score (74.2% vs 62.3%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Opus 4.5
MiniMax
MiniMax M3

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Opus 4.5 vs MiniMax M3.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.5 or MiniMax M3?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. Claude Opus 4.5 is made by Anthropic and MiniMax M3 is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Claude Opus 4.5 compare to MiniMax M3 in benchmarks?

Claude Opus 4.5 scores Tau2 Telecom: 98.2%, MMMLU: 90.8%, Tau2 Retail: 88.9%, GPQA: 87.0%, SWE-Bench Verified: 80.9%. MiniMax M3 scores OmniDocBench 1.5: 91.6%, SpreadSheetBench-v1: 89.3%, USAMO 2026: 85.7%, Video-MME: 85.4%, VideoMMMU: 84.6%.

Is Claude Opus 4.5 cheaper than MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 is 8.3x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Opus 4.5 costs $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output via anthropic. MiniMax M3 costs $0.60/M input and $2.40/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Opus 4.5 and MiniMax M3?

Claude Opus 4.5 supports 200K tokens and MiniMax M3 supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Opus 4.5 and MiniMax M3?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($5.00 vs $0.60/M), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Opus 4.5 and MiniMax M3?

Claude Opus 4.5 is developed by Anthropic and MiniMax M3 is developed by MiniMax.

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