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Model Comparison

Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

Kimi K2.6 (by Moonshot AI) and Qwen3.8 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 K2.6 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 6 benchmarks (FrontierSWE, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro). Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Kimi K2.6 if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 6 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

Kimi K2.6 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 6 benchmarks (FrontierSWE, GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, MMMU-Pro, OSWorld-Verified, SWE-Bench Pro).

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Aug 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

1400.0B diff

Qwen3.8 Max has 1400.0B more parameters than Kimi K2.6, making it 140.0% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
1.0Tparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
2.4Tparameters
1000.0B
Kimi K2.6
2400.0B
Qwen3.8 Max

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Kimi K2.6 specifies input context (262,144 tokens). Only Kimi K2.6 specifies output context (131,072 tokens).

Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Input262,144 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Thu Aug 06 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.8 Max support multimodal inputs.

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

Kimi K2.6

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Kimi K2.6 is licensed under Modified MIT License, while Qwen3.8 Max 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

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K2.6 was released on 2026-04-20, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.

Qwen3.8 Max is 3 months newer than Kimi K2.6.

Kimi K2.6

Apr 20, 2026

3 months ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

4 days ago

3mo 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Larger context window (262,144 tokens)
Has open weights
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher FrontierSWE score (73.5% vs 27.0%)
Higher GPQA score (92.6% vs 90.5%)
Higher Humanity's Last Exam score (43.6% vs 36.4%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (82.3% vs 80.1%)
Higher OSWorld-Verified score (86.1% vs 73.1%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (67.7% vs 58.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K2.6
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K2.6 vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, Kimi K2.6 or Qwen3.8 Max?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K2.6 is made by Moonshot AI and Qwen3.8 Max 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 Qwen3.8 Max in benchmarks?

Kimi K2.6 scores V*: 96.9%, AIME 2026: 96.4%, MathVision: 93.2%, HMMT Feb 26: 92.7%, GPQA: 90.5%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.8 Max?

Kimi K2.6 supports 262K tokens and Qwen3.8 Max supports an unknown number of 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 Qwen3.8 Max?

Key differences include licensing (Modified MIT License vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K2.6 and Qwen3.8 Max?

Kimi K2.6 is developed by Moonshot AI and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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