Model Comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Kimi K2.6Which is better in 2026?

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2.6 is 2.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Kimi K2.6 — which is better?

Gemini 3.5 Flash (by Google) and Kimi K2.6 (by Moonshot AI) 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.

Gemini 3.5 Flash outperforms in 8 benchmarks (Finance Agent v2, GDPval-AA, Humanity's Last Exam, LiveBench, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon), while Kimi K2.6 is better at 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, SWE-Bench Pro). Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Kimi K2.6 is roughly 2.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.5 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 8 of 10 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2026

Choose Kimi K2.6 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 2.3x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

10 benchmarks

Gemini 3.5 Flash outperforms in 8 benchmarks (Finance Agent v2, GDPval-AA, Humanity's Last Exam, LiveBench, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon), while Kimi K2.6 is better at 2 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, SWE-Bench Pro).

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Kimi K2.6 costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($1.50/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than Kimi K2.6 ($0.75/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash ($9.00/1M tokens) is 2.6x more expensive than Kimi K2.6 ($3.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash is more expensive than Kimi K2.6.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input tokens$1.50
Output tokens$9.00
Best providerGoogle
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Input tokens$0.75
Output tokens$3.50
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.5 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Kimi K2.6's 262,144 tokens. Kimi K2.6 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Gemini 3.5 Flash is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Gemini 3.5 Flash and Kimi K2.6 support multimodal inputs.

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

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K2.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.5 Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while Kimi K2.6 uses Modified MIT License.

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

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Kimi K2.6

Modified MIT License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.5 Flash was released on 2026-05-19, while Kimi K2.6 was released on 2026-04-20.

Gemini 3.5 Flash is 1 month newer than Kimi K2.6.

Gemini 3.5 Flash

May 19, 2026

1 months ago

4w newer
Kimi K2.6

Apr 20, 2026

2 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-01-31, while Kimi K2.6's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash's training data extends to 2026-01-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K2.6's cutoff date.

Gemini 3.5 Flash

Jan 2026

Kimi K2.6

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.5 Flash is available from Google. Kimi K2.6 is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, Moonshot AI, Novita, Together.

Gemini 3.5 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $1.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $9.00/1M

Kimi K2.6

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.75/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.50/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher Finance Agent v2 score (57.9% vs 44.9%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (45.7% vs 40.1%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (40.2% vs 36.4%)
Higher LiveBench score (75.0% vs 72.2%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (83.6% vs 80.1%)
Higher OSWorld-Verified score (78.4% vs 73.1%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (76.2% vs 66.7%)
Higher Toolathlon score (56.5% vs 50.0%)
Moonshot AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher CharXiv-R score (86.7% vs 84.2%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (58.6% vs 55.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash and Kimi K2.6 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.5 Flash
✓ Preferred
Kimi K2.6
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Kimi K2.6.

Which is better, Gemini 3.5 Flash or Kimi K2.6?

Gemini 3.5 Flash significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Gemini 3.5 Flash is made by Google and Kimi K2.6 is made by Moonshot AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Gemini 3.5 Flash compare to Kimi K2.6 in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.5 Flash scores CharXiv-R: 84.2%, MCP Atlas: 83.6%, MMMU-Pro: 83.6%, OSWorld-Verified: 78.4%, Terminal-Bench 2.0: 76.2%. Kimi K2.6 scores V*: 96.9%, AIME 2026: 96.4%, MathVision: 93.2%, HMMT Feb 26: 92.7%, GPQA: 90.5%.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash cheaper than Kimi K2.6?

Kimi K2.6 is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash costs $1.50/M input and $9.00/M output via google. Kimi K2.6 costs $0.75/M input and $3.50/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.5 Flash and Kimi K2.6?

Gemini 3.5 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Kimi K2.6 supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3.5 Flash and Kimi K2.6?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 262K), input pricing ($1.50 vs $0.75/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Modified MIT License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.5 Flash and Kimi K2.6?

Gemini 3.5 Flash is developed by Google and Kimi K2.6 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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