Model Comparison

Kimi K2 Instruct vs MiniMax M1 80KWhich is better in 2026?

Kimi K2 Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Kimi K2 Instruct is 1.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K2 Instruct vs MiniMax M1 80K — which is better?

Kimi K2 Instruct (by Moonshot AI) and MiniMax M1 80K (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.

Kimi K2 Instruct outperforms in 5 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500, Multi-Challenge, SimpleQA, ZebraLogic), while MiniMax M1 80K is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, Humanity's Last Exam). Kimi K2 Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Kimi K2 Instruct is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

MiniMax M1 80K also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Kimi K2 Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 9 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2025

Choose MiniMax M1 80K if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

9 benchmarks

Kimi K2 Instruct outperforms in 5 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH-500, Multi-Challenge, SimpleQA, ZebraLogic), while MiniMax M1 80K is better at 3 benchmarks (AIME 2024, AIME 2025, Humanity's Last Exam).

Kimi K2 Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Mon Jul 27 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 cheaper than MiniMax M1 80K ($0.55/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K2 Instruct ($0.50/1M tokens) is 4.4x cheaper than MiniMax M1 80K ($2.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, MiniMax M1 80K is more expensive than Kimi K2 Instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerFireworks
MiniMax
MiniMax M1 80K
Input tokens$0.55
Output tokens$2.20
Best providerNovita
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

544.0B diff

Kimi K2 Instruct has 544.0B more parameters than MiniMax M1 80K, making it 119.3% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
1.0Tparameters
MiniMax
MiniMax M1 80K
456.0Bparameters
1000.0B
Kimi K2 Instruct
456.0B
MiniMax M1 80K

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

MiniMax M1 80K accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Kimi K2 Instruct's 200,000 tokens. Kimi K2 Instruct can generate longer responses up to 200,000 tokens, while MiniMax M1 80K is limited to 40,000 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
Input200,000 tokens
Output200,000 tokens
MiniMax
MiniMax M1 80K
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output40,000 tokens
Mon Jul 27 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

MiniMax M1 80K

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K2 Instruct was released on 2025-07-11, while MiniMax M1 80K was released on 2025-06-16.

Kimi K2 Instruct is 1 month newer than MiniMax M1 80K.

Kimi K2 Instruct

Jul 11, 2025

1.0 years ago

3w newer
MiniMax M1 80K

Jun 16, 2025

1.1 years ago

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. MiniMax M1 80K is available from Novita.

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

MiniMax M1 80K

novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.55/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (75.1% vs 70.0%)
Higher MATH-500 score (97.4% vs 96.8%)
Higher Multi-Challenge score (54.1% vs 44.7%)
Higher SimpleQA score (31.0% vs 18.5%)
Higher ZebraLogic score (89.0% vs 86.8%)
MiniMax
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Higher AIME 2024 score (86.0% vs 69.6%)
Higher AIME 2025 score (76.9% vs 49.5%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (8.4% vs 4.7%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K2 Instruct and MiniMax M1 80K side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K2 Instruct
✓ Preferred
MiniMax M1 80K
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct
MiniMax
MiniMax M1 80K

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K2 Instruct vs MiniMax M1 80K.

Which is better, Kimi K2 Instruct or MiniMax M1 80K?

Kimi K2 Instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Kimi K2 Instruct is made by Moonshot AI and MiniMax M1 80K is made by MiniMax. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Kimi K2 Instruct compare to MiniMax M1 80K in benchmarks?

Kimi K2 Instruct scores MATH-500: 97.4%, GSM8k: 97.3%, CBNSL: 95.6%, HumanEval: 93.3%, MMLU-Redux: 92.7%. MiniMax M1 80K scores MATH-500: 96.8%, ZebraLogic: 86.8%, AIME 2024: 86.0%, MMLU-Pro: 81.1%, AIME 2025: 76.9%.

Is Kimi K2 Instruct cheaper than MiniMax M1 80K?

Kimi K2 Instruct is 1.1x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K2 Instruct costs $0.50/M input and $0.50/M output via fireworks. MiniMax M1 80K costs $0.55/M input and $2.20/M output via novita.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K2 Instruct and MiniMax M1 80K?

Kimi K2 Instruct supports 200K tokens and MiniMax M1 80K 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 Kimi K2 Instruct and MiniMax M1 80K?

Key differences include context window (200K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.50 vs $0.55/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K2 Instruct and MiniMax M1 80K?

Kimi K2 Instruct is developed by Moonshot AI and MiniMax M1 80K is developed by MiniMax.

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