Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Kimi K3Which is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Kimi K3 — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) 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.

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Kimi K3 specifies input context (1,048,576 tokens). Only Kimi K3 specifies output context (1,048,576 tokens).

xAI
Grok-2 mini
Input- tokens
Output- 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 Grok-2 mini and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16.

Kimi K3 is 23 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1.9yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Moonshot AI
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (93.5% vs 51.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Kimi K3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Kimi K3.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Kimi K3?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI 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 Grok-2 mini compare to Kimi K3 in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 mini and Kimi K3?

Grok-2 mini supports an unknown number of 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 Grok-2 mini and Kimi K3?

Key differences include licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Kimi K3?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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