Model Comparison

Hermes 3 70B vs MiniMax M2Which is better in 2026?

MiniMax M2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M2 is 1.2x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Hermes 3 70B vs MiniMax M2 — which is better?

Hermes 3 70B (by Nous Research) and MiniMax M2 (by MiniMax) 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.

Hermes 3 70B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while MiniMax M2 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro). MiniMax M2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, MiniMax M2 is roughly 1.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

MiniMax M2 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Hermes 3 70B if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.35/M input and $1.40/M output

Choose MiniMax M2 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.2x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Oct 2025
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Hermes 3 70B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while MiniMax M2 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro).

MiniMax M2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

MiniMax M2 costs less

For input processing, Hermes 3 70B ($0.35/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than MiniMax M2 ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Hermes 3 70B ($1.40/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than MiniMax M2 ($1.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Hermes 3 70B is more expensive than MiniMax M2.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com
Nous Research
Hermes 3 70B
Input tokens$0.35
Output tokens$1.40
Best providerDeepinfra
MiniMax
MiniMax M2
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerMiniMax
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

160.0B diff

MiniMax M2 has 160.0B more parameters than Hermes 3 70B, making it 228.6% larger.

Nous Research
Hermes 3 70B
70.0Bparameters
MiniMax
MiniMax M2
230.0Bparameters
70.0B
Hermes 3 70B
230.0B
MiniMax M2

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

MiniMax M2 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Hermes 3 70B's 131,072 tokens. MiniMax M2 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while Hermes 3 70B is limited to 16,384 tokens.

Nous Research
Hermes 3 70B
Input131,072 tokens
Output16,384 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M2
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output1,000,000 tokens
Sat Jun 13 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Hermes 3 70B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while MiniMax M2 uses MIT.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Hermes 3 70B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

MiniMax M2

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Hermes 3 70B was released on 2024-08-15, while MiniMax M2 was released on 2025-10-27.

MiniMax M2 is 15 months newer than Hermes 3 70B.

Hermes 3 70B

Aug 15, 2024

1.8 years ago

MiniMax M2

Oct 27, 2025

7 months ago

1.2yr 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

Hermes 3 70B is available from DeepInfra. MiniMax M2 is available from MiniMax, Novita.

Hermes 3 70B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.35/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.40/1M

MiniMax M2

minimax logo
MiniMax
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Nous Research

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

MiniMax
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (78.0% vs 66.1%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (82.0% vs 47.2%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Nous Research
Hermes 3 70B
MiniMax
MiniMax M2

FAQ

Common questions about Hermes 3 70B vs MiniMax M2.

Which is better, Hermes 3 70B or MiniMax M2?

MiniMax M2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Hermes 3 70B is made by Nous Research and MiniMax M2 is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Hermes 3 70B compare to MiniMax M2 in benchmarks?

Hermes 3 70B scores MT-Bench: 89.9%, HellaSwag: 88.2%, BoolQ: 88.0%, PIQA: 84.4%, Winogrande: 83.2%. MiniMax M2 scores Tau2 Telecom: 87.0%, LiveCodeBench: 83.0%, MMLU-Pro: 82.0%, AIME 2025: 78.0%, GPQA: 78.0%.

Is Hermes 3 70B cheaper than MiniMax M2?

MiniMax M2 is 1.2x cheaper for input tokens. Hermes 3 70B costs $0.35/M input and $1.40/M output via deepinfra. MiniMax M2 costs $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output via minimax.

What are the context window sizes for Hermes 3 70B and MiniMax M2?

Hermes 3 70B supports 131K tokens and MiniMax M2 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 Hermes 3 70B and MiniMax M2?

Key differences include context window (131K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.35 vs $0.30/M), licensing (Apache 2.0 vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Hermes 3 70B and MiniMax M2?

Hermes 3 70B is developed by Nous Research and MiniMax M2 is developed by MiniMax.

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