Model Comparison
Kimi K2.5 vs Qwen3 MaxWhich is better in 2026?
Kimi K2.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2.5 is 1.4x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Kimi K2.5 vs Qwen3 Max — which is better?
Kimi K2.5 (by Moonshot AI) and Qwen3 Max (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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 4 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA, LiveCodeBench v6, SWE-Bench Verified), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K2.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Kimi K2.5 is roughly 1.4x 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…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,100 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Qwen3 Max if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.50/M input and $5.00/M output
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Kimi K2.5 outperforms in 4 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA, LiveCodeBench v6, SWE-Bench Verified), while Qwen3 Max is better at 0 benchmarks.
Kimi K2.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Kimi K2.5 ($0.60/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than Qwen3 Max ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Kimi K2.5 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x cheaper than Qwen3 Max ($5.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3 Max is more expensive than Kimi K2.5.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Qwen3 Max has 0.0B more parameters than Kimi K2.5, making it 0.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Kimi K2.5 accepts 262,100 input tokens compared to Qwen3 Max's 256,000 tokens. Kimi K2.5 can generate longer responses up to 262,100 tokens, while Qwen3 Max is limited to 131,072 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Kimi K2.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Qwen3 Max does not.
Kimi K2.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Kimi K2.5
Qwen3 Max
License
Usage and distribution terms
Kimi K2.5 is licensed under MIT, while Qwen3 Max uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Kimi K2.5 was released on 2026-01-27, while Qwen3 Max was released on 2025-12-15.
Kimi K2.5 is 1 month newer than Qwen3 Max.
Jan 27, 2026
5 months ago
1mo newerDec 15, 2025
7 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Kimi K2.5 is available from Fireworks, Moonshot AI. Qwen3 Max is available from Novita.
Kimi K2.5
Qwen3 Max
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Kimi K2.5
View detailsMoonshot AI
Qwen3 Max
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Kimi K2.5 and Qwen3 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Kimi K2.5 vs Qwen3 Max.