Model Comparison

Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.6 PlusWhich is better in 2026?

Kimi K2.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3.6 Plus is 1.3x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.6 Plus — which is better?

Kimi K2.6 (by Moonshot AI) and Qwen3.6 Plus (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 K2.6 outperforms in 22 benchmarks (AIME 2026, CharXiv-R, Claw-Eval, Finance Agent v2, FrontierSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, Humanity's Last Exam, IMO-AnswerBench, LiveBench, LiveCodeBench v6, MathVision, MCP-Mark, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-bench Multilingual, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon, WideSearch), while Qwen3.6 Plus is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K2.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Qwen3.6 Plus is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Qwen3.6 Plus also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Kimi K2.6 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 22 of 23 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Qwen3.6 Plus if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

23 benchmarks

Kimi K2.6 outperforms in 22 benchmarks (AIME 2026, CharXiv-R, Claw-Eval, Finance Agent v2, FrontierSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, HMMT Feb 26, Humanity's Last Exam, IMO-AnswerBench, LiveBench, LiveCodeBench v6, MathVision, MCP-Mark, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-bench Multilingual, SWE-Bench Pro, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0, Toolathlon, WideSearch), while Qwen3.6 Plus is better at 0 benchmarks.

Kimi K2.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Qwen3.6 Plus costs less

For input processing, Kimi K2.6 ($0.75/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Qwen3.6 Plus ($0.50/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K2.6 ($3.50/1M tokens) is 1.2x more expensive than Qwen3.6 Plus ($3.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Kimi K2.6 is more expensive than Qwen3.6 Plus.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Input tokens$0.75
Output tokens$3.50
Best providerDeepinfra
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.6 Plus
Input tokens$0.50
Output tokens$3.00
Best providerTogether
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Qwen3.6 Plus accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Kimi K2.6's 262,144 tokens. Kimi K2.6 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Qwen3.6 Plus is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.6 Plus
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.6 Plus support multimodal inputs.

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

Kimi K2.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.6 Plus

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Kimi K2.6 is licensed under Modified MIT License, while Qwen3.6 Plus uses a proprietary license.

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

Kimi K2.6

Modified MIT License

Open weights

Qwen3.6 Plus

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K2.6 was released on 2026-04-20, while Qwen3.6 Plus was released on 2026-03-31.

Kimi K2.6 is 1 month newer than Qwen3.6 Plus.

Kimi K2.6

Apr 20, 2026

3 months ago

2w newer
Qwen3.6 Plus

Mar 31, 2026

3 months 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 K2.6 is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, Moonshot AI, Novita, Together. Qwen3.6 Plus is available from Together.

Kimi K2.6

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.75/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.50/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
novita logo
Novita
Input Price:Input: $0.95/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.00/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $4.50/1M

Qwen3.6 Plus

together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.50/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Has open weights
Higher AIME 2026 score (96.4% vs 95.3%)
Higher CharXiv-R score (86.7% vs 81.5%)
Higher Claw-Eval score (80.9% vs 58.7%)
Higher Finance Agent v2 score (44.9% vs 40.8%)
Higher FrontierSWE score (27.0% vs 22.0%)
Higher GDPval-AA score (40.1% vs 38.7%)
Higher GPQA score (90.5% vs 90.4%)
Higher HMMT Feb 26 score (92.7% vs 87.8%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (36.4% vs 28.8%)
Higher IMO-AnswerBench score (86.0% vs 83.8%)
Higher LiveBench score (72.2% vs 70.9%)
Higher LiveCodeBench v6 score (89.6% vs 87.1%)
Higher MathVision score (93.2% vs 88.0%)
Higher MCP-Mark score (55.9% vs 48.2%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (80.1% vs 78.8%)
Higher OSWorld-Verified score (73.1% vs 62.5%)
Higher SWE-bench Multilingual score (76.7% vs 73.8%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (58.6% vs 56.6%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (80.2% vs 78.8%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (66.7% vs 61.6%)
Higher Toolathlon score (50.0% vs 39.8%)
Higher WideSearch score (80.8% vs 74.3%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.6 Plus

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.6 Plus side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K2.6
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.6 Plus
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.6 Plus

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.6 Plus.

Which is better, Kimi K2.6 or Qwen3.6 Plus?

Kimi K2.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2.6 is made by Moonshot AI and Qwen3.6 Plus is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Kimi K2.6 compare to Qwen3.6 Plus in benchmarks?

Kimi K2.6 scores V*: 96.9%, AIME 2026: 96.4%, MathVision: 93.2%, HMMT Feb 26: 92.7%, GPQA: 90.5%. Qwen3.6 Plus scores CountBench: 97.6%, V*: 96.9%, HMMT 2025: 96.7%, AIME 2026: 95.3%, HMMT25: 94.6%.

Is Kimi K2.6 cheaper than Qwen3.6 Plus?

Qwen3.6 Plus is 1.5x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K2.6 costs $0.75/M input and $3.50/M output via deepinfra. Qwen3.6 Plus costs $0.50/M input and $3.00/M output via together.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.6 Plus?

Kimi K2.6 supports 262K tokens and Qwen3.6 Plus 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 K2.6 and Qwen3.6 Plus?

Key differences include context window (262K vs 1.0M), input pricing ($0.75 vs $0.50/M), licensing (Modified MIT License vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.6 Plus?

Kimi K2.6 is developed by Moonshot AI and Qwen3.6 Plus is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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