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GPT-4.1 mini vs Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 leads the LLM Stats Score 21.6 to 14.0.

OpenAI · Moonshot AI · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 21.6 to 14.0, ranking #194 overall.

In the 10 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 wins 10; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose GPT-4.1 mini

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.40/M input and $1.60/M output

Choose Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

  • overall performance matters — it scores 21.6 and ranks #194 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 10 of 10 exact shared results
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

GPT-4.1 mini
OpenAI
Kimi K2-Instruct-0905
Moonshot AI
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
14.0
#247
21.6
#194
Reasoning
13.9
#240
21.8
#184
Coding
-3.3
#261
9.7
#177
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
0 of 10
10 of 10
Input price
$0.40 / M
— / M
Output price
$1.60 / M
— / M
Context window
1,047,576
—

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

3 shared
Index
GPT-4.1 mini
Kimi K2-Instruct-0905
Math
13.6#227
21.5#146
Tool use
1.9#175
6.4#151
Writing
4.0#100
11.8#64
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

28 reported for GPT-4.1 mini · 29 for Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

10 shared

GPT-4.1 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 is better at 10 benchmarks (Aider-Polyglot, AIME 2024, AIME 2025, GPQA, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam, IFEval, MMLU, Multi-Challenge, SWE-Bench Verified).

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Oct 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 mini specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4.1 mini
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2-Instruct-0905
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Fri Oct 02 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

GPT-4.1 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 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

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4.1 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 uses MIT.

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

GPT-4.1 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4.1 mini was released on 2025-04-14, while Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 was released on 2025-09-05.

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 is 5 months newer than GPT-4.1 mini.

GPT-4.1 mini

Apr 14, 2025

1.5 years ago

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

Sep 5, 2025

1.1 years ago

4mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4.1 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-31, while Kimi K2-Instruct-0905'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-0905's cutoff date.

GPT-4.1 mini

May 2024

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905

—

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-4.1 mini
✓ Preferred
Kimi K2-Instruct-0905
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4.1 mini vs Kimi K2-Instruct-0905.

Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or Kimi K2-Instruct-0905?

Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 leads the LLM Stats Score 21.6 to 14.0. GPT-4.1 mini is made by OpenAI and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 is made by Moonshot AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does GPT-4.1 mini compare to Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 in benchmarks?

GPT-4.1 mini scores CharXiv-D: 88.4%, MMLU: 87.5%, IFEval: 84.1%, MMMLU: 78.5%, MathVista: 73.1%. Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 scores MATH-500: 97.4%, MMLU-Redux: 92.7%, IFEval: 89.8%, AutoLogi: 89.5%, MMLU: 89.5%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905?

GPT-4.1 mini supports 1.0M tokens and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (14.0 vs 21.6), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905?

GPT-4.1 mini is developed by OpenAI and Kimi K2-Instruct-0905 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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