Model Comparison

Kimi K2 Instruct vs Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2 Instruct is 1.7x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

10 benchmarks

Kimi K2 Instruct outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 is better at 10 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA, HMMT 2025, Humanity's Last Exam, LiveCodeBench v6, MMLU-Pro, MMLU-Redux, OJBench, SWE-bench Multilingual, Terminal-Bench).

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat May 09 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Kimi K2 Instruct costs less

For input processing, Kimi K2 Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens) is 1.1x more expensive than Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 ($0.47/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K2 Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens) is 4.0x cheaper than Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 ($2.00/1M tokens).

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

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat May 09 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerFireworks
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2-Thinking-0905
Input tokens$0.47
Output tokens$2.00
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

0.0M diff

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 has 0.0B more parameters than Kimi K2 Instruct, making it 0.0% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
1.0Tparameters
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2-Thinking-0905
1.0Tparameters
1000.0B
Kimi K2 Instruct
1000.0B
Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Kimi K2 Instruct's 200,000 tokens. Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Kimi K2 Instruct is limited to 200,000 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2-Thinking-0905
Input262,144 tokens
Output262,144 tokens
Sat May 09 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under MIT.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Kimi K2 Instruct

MIT

Open weights

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K2 Instruct was released on 2025-07-11, while Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 was released on 2025-09-05.

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 is 2 months newer than Kimi K2 Instruct.

Kimi K2 Instruct

Jul 11, 2025

10 months ago

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

Sep 5, 2025

8 months ago

1mo 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

Kimi K2 Instruct is available from Fireworks, Novita. Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 is available from DeepInfra, Novita, Fireworks.

Kimi K2 Instruct

fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.57/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.30/1M

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.47/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.00/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.48/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.00/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Less expensive output tokens
Moonshot AI
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Higher AIME 2025 score (100.0% vs 49.5%)
Higher GPQA score (84.5% vs 75.1%)
Higher HMMT 2025 score (97.5% vs 38.8%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (51.0% vs 4.7%)
Higher LiveCodeBench v6 score (83.1% vs 53.7%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (84.6% vs 81.1%)
Higher MMLU-Redux score (94.4% vs 92.7%)
Higher OJBench score (48.7% vs 27.1%)
Higher SWE-bench Multilingual score (61.1% vs 47.3%)
Higher Terminal-Bench score (47.1% vs 30.0%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2-Thinking-0905

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K2 Instruct vs Kimi K2-Thinking-0905.

Which is better, Kimi K2 Instruct or Kimi K2-Thinking-0905?

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2 Instruct is made by Moonshot AI and Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 is made by Moonshot AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

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

Kimi K2 Instruct scores MATH-500: 97.4%, GSM8k: 97.3%, CBNSL: 95.6%, HumanEval: 93.3%, MMLU-Redux: 92.7%. Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 scores AIME 2025: 100.0%, HMMT 2025: 97.5%, MMLU-Redux: 94.4%, FRAMES: 87.0%, MMLU-Pro: 84.6%.

Is Kimi K2 Instruct cheaper than Kimi K2-Thinking-0905?

Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 is 1.1x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K2 Instruct costs $0.50/M input and $0.50/M output via fireworks. Kimi K2-Thinking-0905 costs $0.47/M input and $2.00/M output via deepinfra.

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

Kimi K2 Instruct supports 200K tokens and Kimi K2-Thinking-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 Kimi K2 Instruct and Kimi K2-Thinking-0905?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 262K), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.47/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.