Kimi-k1.5 vs Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
Kimi-k1.5 and Llama 3.1 405B Instruct are closely matched at 17.2 and 14.7 on the LLM Stats Score.
Moonshot AI · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Kimi-k1.5 and Llama 3.1 405B Instruct are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 17.2 and 14.7.
The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Kimi-k1.5
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
Choose Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
- 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
9 reported for Kimi-k1.5 · 18 for Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
Kimi-k1.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (IFEval).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Llama 3.1 405B Instruct specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Llama 3.1 405B Instruct specifies output context (128,000 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Kimi-k1.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Llama 3.1 405B Instruct does not.
Kimi-k1.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Kimi-k1.5
Llama 3.1 405B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Kimi-k1.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct uses Llama 3.1 Community License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Llama 3.1 Community License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Kimi-k1.5 was released on 2025-01-20, while Llama 3.1 405B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23.
Kimi-k1.5 is 6 months newer than Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.
Jan 20, 2025
1.7 years ago
6mo newerJul 23, 2024
2.2 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Kimi-k1.5 and Llama 3.1 405B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Kimi-k1.5 vs Llama 3.1 405B Instruct.