Model Comparison

Grok-3 vs Kimi K3Which is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 and Kimi K3 cost the same.

Verdict: Grok-3 vs Kimi K3 — which is better?

Grok-3 (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-3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA). Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

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 Grok-3 if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output

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

Grok-3 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

For input processing, Grok-3 ($3.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 ($15.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-3 and Kimi K3 cost the same.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
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

Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Grok-3's 128,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while Grok-3 is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-3
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 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 Grok-3 and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 was released on 2025-02-17, while Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16.

Kimi K3 is 17 months newer than Grok-3.

Grok-3

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

4 days ago

1.4yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok-3's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.

Grok-3

Nov 2024

Kimi K3

—

Provider Availability

Grok-3 is available from xAI. Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI.

Grok-3

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

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

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 84.6%)
xAIGrok-3
Moonshot AIKimi K3
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-3 and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-3
✓ Preferred
Kimi K3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 vs Kimi K3.

Which is better, Grok-3 or Kimi K3?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-3 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-3 compare to Kimi K3 in benchmarks?

Grok-3 scores AIME 2024: 93.3%, AIME 2025: 93.3%, GPQA: 84.6%, LiveCodeBench: 79.4%, MMMU: 78.0%. Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%.

Is Grok-3 cheaper than Kimi K3?

Both models cost $3.00 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 and Kimi K3?

Grok-3 supports 128K 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-3 and Kimi K3?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 1.0M), licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-3 and Kimi K3?

Grok-3 is developed by xAI and Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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