Model Comparison

Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K3Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K3 — which is better?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (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.

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-4.1 Thinking if…

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

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • 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

No common benchmarks found

Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3don'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

For input processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($3.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-4.1 Thinking ($15.00/1M tokens) costs the same as Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3 cost the same.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
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-4.1 Thinking's 256,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 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 K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Sun Jul 26 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-4.1 Thinking was released on 2025-11-17, while Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16.

Kimi K3 is 8 months newer than Grok-4.1 Thinking.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

Nov 17, 2025

8 months ago

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

1 weeks ago

8mo 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

Provider Availability

Grok-4.1 Thinking is available from xAI. Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI.

Grok-4.1 Thinking

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

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-4.1 Thinking
✓ Preferred
Kimi K3
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-4.1 Thinking
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-4.1 Thinking vs Kimi K3.

Which is better, Grok-4.1 Thinking or Kimi K3?

Grok-4.1 Thinking (xAI) and Kimi K3 (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 K3 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 K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%.

Is Grok-4.1 Thinking cheaper than Kimi K3?

Both models cost $3.00 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3?

Grok-4.1 Thinking supports 256K 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-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3?

Key differences include context window (256K vs 1.0M), licensing (Proprietary vs Unknown). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-4.1 Thinking and Kimi K3?

Grok-4.1 Thinking is developed by xAI and Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI.

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