GPT-4.1 mini vs Kimi K2 Instruct
Kimi K2 Instruct leads the LLM Stats Score 21.9 to 14.0. Kimi K2 Instruct is 1.4x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Moonshot AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Kimi K2 Instruct leads the overall LLM Stats Score 21.9 to 14.0, ranking #190 overall.
In the 9 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Kimi K2 Instruct wins 9; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Kimi K2 Instruct is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-4.1 mini also accepts a larger context window (1,047,576 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 GPT-4.1 mini
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,047,576 token context window
Choose Kimi K2 Instruct
- overall performance matters — it scores 21.9 and ranks #190 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 9 of 9 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 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
28 reported for GPT-4.1 mini · 38 for Kimi K2 Instruct
GPT-4.1 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K2 Instruct is better at 9 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2024, AIME 2025, GPQA, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam, IFEval, MMLU, Multi-Challenge).
Kimi K2 Instruct 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, GPT-4.1 mini ($0.40/1M tokens) is 1.3x cheaper than Kimi K2 Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4.1 mini ($1.60/1M tokens) is 3.2x more expensive than Kimi K2 Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4.1 mini is more expensive than Kimi K2 Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-4.1 mini accepts 1,047,576 input tokens compared to Kimi K2 Instruct's 200,000 tokens. Kimi K2 Instruct can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while GPT-4.1 mini is limited to 32,768 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
GPT-4.1 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Kimi K2 Instruct does not.
GPT-4.1 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-4.1 mini
Kimi K2 Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4.1 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Kimi K2 Instruct 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
GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14, while Kimi K2 Instruct was released on 2025-07-11.
Kimi K2 Instruct is 3 months newer than GPT-4.1 mini.
Apr 14, 2025
1.5 years ago
Jul 11, 2025
1.2 years ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4.1 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Kimi K2 Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4.1 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K2 Instruct's cutoff date.
May 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-4.1 mini is available from OpenAI. Kimi K2 Instruct is available from Fireworks, Novita.
GPT-4.1 mini
Kimi K2 Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2 Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4.1 mini vs Kimi K2 Instruct.