Model Comparison

GPT-5.6 Sol vs Kimi K3Which is better in 2026?

GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Kimi K3 is 1.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: GPT-5.6 Sol vs Kimi K3 — which is better?

GPT-5.6 Sol (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-5.6 Sol outperforms in 6 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, MMMU-Pro, MMMU-Pro (with tools), Terminal-Bench 2.1), while Kimi K3 is better at 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BrowseComp, Toolathlon). GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Kimi K3 is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GPT-5.6 Sol also accepts a larger context window (1,050,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose GPT-5.6 Sol if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 9 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

9 benchmarks

GPT-5.6 Sol outperforms in 6 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, MMMU-Pro, MMMU-Pro (with tools), Terminal-Bench 2.1), while Kimi K3 is better at 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BrowseComp, Toolathlon).

GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Kimi K3 costs less

For input processing, GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5.6 Sol ($30.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Sol is more expensive than Kimi K3.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$30.00
Best providerOpenAI
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerUnknown Organization
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5.6 Sol accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to Kimi K3's 1,048,576 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Sol is limited to 128,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
Input1,050,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5.6 Sol and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5.6 Sol

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5.6 Sol was released on 2026-07-09, while Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16.

Kimi K3 is 0 month newer than GPT-5.6 Sol.

GPT-5.6 Sol

Jul 9, 2026

1 weeks ago

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5.6 Sol has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5.6 Sol's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.

GPT-5.6 Sol

Feb 2026

Kimi K3

Provider Availability

GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI. Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI.

GPT-5.6 Sol

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $30.00/1M

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

Larger context window (1,050,000 tokens)
Higher DeepSWE score (72.7% vs 67.5%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (58.3% vs 55.6%)
Higher GPQA score (94.6% vs 93.5%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (83.0% vs 81.6%)
Higher MMMU-Pro (with tools) score (84.6% vs 83.4%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.1 score (88.8% vs 88.3%)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher AutomationBench score (30.8% vs 18.1%)
Higher BrowseComp score (91.2% vs 90.4%)
Higher Toolathlon score (73.2% vs 58.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5.6 Sol and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5.6 Sol
✓ Preferred
Kimi K3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5.6 Sol
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5.6 Sol vs Kimi K3.

Which is better, GPT-5.6 Sol or Kimi K3?

GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. GPT-5.6 Sol 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-5.6 Sol compare to Kimi K3 in benchmarks?

GPT-5.6 Sol scores Connectors: 100.0%, Capture-the-Flag Challenges (Internal): 96.7%, HealthBench Consensus: 95.5%, GPQA: 94.6%, MRCR v2 (8-needle): 91.5%. Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%.

Is GPT-5.6 Sol cheaper than Kimi K3?

Kimi K3 is 1.7x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-5.6 Sol costs $5.00/M input and $30.00/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-5.6 Sol and Kimi K3?

GPT-5.6 Sol supports 1.1M 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-5.6 Sol and Kimi K3?

Key differences include context window (1.1M vs 1.0M), input pricing ($5.00 vs $3.00/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-5.6 Sol and Kimi K3?

GPT-5.6 Sol is developed by OpenAI and Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI.