Model Comparison

GPT-5 Medium vs Kimi K3Which is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-5 Medium is 1.7x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-5 Medium vs Kimi K3 — which is better?

GPT-5 Medium (by OpenAI) and Kimi K3 (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.

GPT-5 Medium outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, GPT-5 Medium is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Kimi K3 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose GPT-5 Medium if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token

Choose Kimi K3 if…

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

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

GPT-5 Medium outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

GPT-5 Medium costs less

For input processing, GPT-5 Medium ($1.25/1M tokens) is 2.4x cheaper than Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5 Medium ($10.00/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than GPT-5 Medium.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input tokens$1.25
Output tokens$10.00
Best providerOpenAI
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerUnknown Organization
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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to GPT-5 Medium's 400,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while GPT-5 Medium is limited to 128,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5 Medium and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5 Medium

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5 Medium was released on 2025-08-07, while Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16.

Kimi K3 is 11 months newer than GPT-5 Medium.

GPT-5 Medium

Aug 7, 2025

11 months ago

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

5 days ago

11mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5 Medium has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-09-30, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5 Medium's training data extends to 2024-09-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.

GPT-5 Medium

Sep 2024

Kimi K3

Provider Availability

GPT-5 Medium is available from OpenAI. Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI.

GPT-5 Medium

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $1.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $10.00/1M

Kimi K3

moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (93.5% vs 88.1%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5 Medium and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5 Medium
✓ Preferred
Kimi K3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5 Medium
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5 Medium vs Kimi K3.

Which is better, GPT-5 Medium or Kimi K3?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-5 Medium is made by OpenAI and Kimi K3 is made by Moonshot AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GPT-5 Medium compare to Kimi K3 in benchmarks?

GPT-5 Medium scores AIME 2025: 88.9%, GPQA: 88.1%. Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%.

Is GPT-5 Medium cheaper than Kimi K3?

GPT-5 Medium is 2.4x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-5 Medium costs $1.25/M input and $10.00/M output via openai. Kimi K3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via moonshot.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5 Medium and Kimi K3?

GPT-5 Medium supports 400K tokens and Kimi K3 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 GPT-5 Medium and Kimi K3?

Key differences include context window (400K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($1.25 vs $3.00/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-5 Medium and Kimi K3?

GPT-5 Medium is developed by OpenAI and Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI.