Grok 4.5 vs Kimi K3
Kimi K3 leads the LLM Stats Score 53.0 to 45.4. Grok 4.5 is 1.9x cheaper per token.
xAI · Moonshot AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Kimi K3 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 53.0 to 45.4, ranking #8 overall.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Kimi K3 wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Grok 4.5 is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Kimi K3 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok 4.5
- cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
Choose Kimi K3
- overall performance matters — it scores 53.0 and ranks #8 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 5 exact shared results
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
15 reported for Grok 4.5 · 31 for Kimi K3
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K3 is better at 5 benchmarks (DeepSWE, DeepSWE 1.1, GPQA, SWE-Marathon, Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 1.4x cheaper than Kimi K3 ($2.85/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 2.4x cheaper than Kimi K3 ($14.25/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than Grok 4.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Grok 4.5's 500,000 tokens. Only Kimi K3 specifies output context (1,048,576 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok 4.5 and Kimi K3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.5
Kimi K3
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Kimi K3 uses Kimi K3 License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Kimi K3 License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Both models were released on 2026-07-16.
They likely represent similar generations of model development.
Jul 16, 2026
2 months ago
Jul 16, 2026
2 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Kimi K3 is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, Moonshot AI, Novita, Together.
Grok 4.5
Kimi K3
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Kimi K3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Kimi K3.