Model Comparison

Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K2 0905Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K2 0905 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K2 0905 — which is better?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (by xAI) and Kimi K2 0905 (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.

On price, Kimi K2 0905 is roughly 5.6x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Kimi K2 0905 also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Grok-4.1 Thinking if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2025

Choose Kimi K2 0905 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 5.6x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K2 0905don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Kimi K2 0905 costs less

For input processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Kimi K2 0905 ($0.60/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than Kimi K2 0905 ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking is more expensive than Kimi K2 0905.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerxAI
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 0905
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K2 0905 accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Grok-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. Kimi K2 0905 can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Grok-4.1 Thinking is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Input256,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 0905
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Grok-4.1 Thinking supports multimodal inputs, whereas Kimi K2 0905 does not.

Grok-4.1 Thinking can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K2 0905

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Proprietary

Closed source

Kimi K2 0905

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17, while Kimi K2 0905 was released on 2025-09-05.

Grok-4.1 Thinking is 2 months newer than Kimi K2 0905.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Nov 17, 2025

8 months ago

2mo newer
Kimi K2 0905

Sep 5, 2025

10 months ago

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

Provider Availability

Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI. Kimi K2 0905 is available from Novita.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

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

Kimi K2 0905

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Supports multimodal inputs
Moonshot AI
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

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

Grok-4.1 Thinking
✓ Preferred
Kimi K2 0905
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 0905

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K2 0905.

Which is better, Grok-4.1 Thinking or Kimi K2 0905?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (xAI) and Kimi K2 0905 (Moonshot AI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Grok-4.1 Thinking compare to Kimi K2 0905 in benchmarks?

Grok-4.1 Thinking scores Creative Writing v3: 86.1%, WMDP: 84.0%, EQ-Bench: 79.3%, ProtocolQA: 79.0%, LMArena Text Leaderboard: 74.2%. Kimi K2 0905 scores HumanEval: 94.5%, MMLU: 90.2%, MATH: 89.1%, MMLU-Pro: 82.5%, GPQA: 75.8%.

Is Grok-4.1 Thinking cheaper than Kimi K2 0905?

Kimi K2 0905 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok-4.1 Thinking costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via xai. Kimi K2 0905 costs $0.60/M input and $2.50/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K2 0905?

Grok-4.1 Thinking supports 256K tokens and Kimi K2 0905 supports 262K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K2 0905?

Key differences include context window (256K vs 262K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.60/M), multimodal support (yes vs no). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K2 0905?

Grok-4.1 Thinking is developed by xAI and Kimi K2 0905 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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