Model Comparison

Kimi K2.5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6Which is better in 2026?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Kimi K2.5 is 5.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K2.5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6 — which is better?

Kimi K2.5 (by Moonshot AI) and Claude Sonnet 4.6 (by Anthropic) 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 K2.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (BrowseComp, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveBench, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0). Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Kimi K2.5 is roughly 5.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Kimi K2.5 also accepts a larger context window (262,100 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Kimi K2.5 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 5.0x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 262,100 token context window
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Claude Sonnet 4.6 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 7 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

7 benchmarks

Kimi K2.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (BrowseComp, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro), while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is better at 4 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveBench, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0).

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Kimi K2.5 costs less

For input processing, Kimi K2.5 ($0.60/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K2.5 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($15.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4.6 is more expensive than Kimi K2.5.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.5
Input tokens$0.60
Output tokens$3.00
Best providerFireworks
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerAnthropic
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K2.5 accepts 262,100 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4.6's 200,000 tokens. Kimi K2.5 can generate longer responses up to 262,100 tokens, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 is limited to 64,000 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.5
Input262,100 tokens
Output262,100 tokens
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Input200,000 tokens
Output64,000 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Kimi K2.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Kimi K2.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Kimi K2.5 is licensed under MIT, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 uses a proprietary license.

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

Kimi K2.5

MIT

Open weights

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K2.5 was released on 2026-01-27, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 was released on 2026-02-17.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 is 1 month newer than Kimi K2.5.

Kimi K2.5

Jan 27, 2026

5 months ago

Claude Sonnet 4.6

Feb 17, 2026

5 months ago

3w 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 K2.5 is available from Fireworks, Moonshot AI. Claude Sonnet 4.6 is available from Anthropic.

Kimi K2.5

fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M
moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $0.60/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M

Claude Sonnet 4.6

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Larger context window (262,100 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher BrowseComp score (74.9% vs 74.7%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (50.2% vs 49.0%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (78.5% vs 75.6%)
Anthropic
Higher GPQA score (89.9% vs 87.6%)
Higher LiveBench score (75.5% vs 69.1%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (79.6% vs 76.8%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (59.1% vs 50.8%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K2.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K2.5
✓ Preferred
Claude Sonnet 4.6
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.5
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet 4.6

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K2.5 vs Claude Sonnet 4.6.

Which is better, Kimi K2.5 or Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Claude Sonnet 4.6 has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Kimi K2.5 is made by Moonshot AI and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is made by Anthropic. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Kimi K2.5 compare to Claude Sonnet 4.6 in benchmarks?

Kimi K2.5 scores AIME 2025: 96.1%, HMMT 2025: 95.4%, InfoVQAtest: 92.6%, OCRBench: 92.3%, MathVista-Mini: 90.1%. Claude Sonnet 4.6 scores Tau2 Telecom: 97.9%, Tau2 Retail: 91.7%, GPQA: 89.9%, MMMLU: 89.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 79.6%.

Is Kimi K2.5 cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Kimi K2.5 is 5.0x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K2.5 costs $0.60/M input and $3.00/M output via fireworks. Claude Sonnet 4.6 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via anthropic.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K2.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Kimi K2.5 supports 262K tokens and Claude Sonnet 4.6 supports 200K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Kimi K2.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Key differences include context window (262K vs 200K), input pricing ($0.60 vs $3.00/M), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K2.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.6?

Kimi K2.5 is developed by Moonshot AI and Claude Sonnet 4.6 is developed by Anthropic.

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