Model Comparison
Kimi K3 vs GPT-5.6 SolWhich is better in 2026?
GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Kimi K3 is 1.9x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Kimi K3 vs GPT-5.6 Sol — which is better?
Kimi K3 (by Moonshot AI) and GPT-5.6 Sol (by OpenAI) 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 K3 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BrowseComp, Toolathlon), while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 6 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, MMMU-Pro, MMMU-Pro (with tools), Terminal-Bench 2.1). GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Kimi K3 is roughly 1.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5.6 Sol also accepts a larger context window (1,050,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Kimi K3 if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.9x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose GPT-5.6 Sol if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 6 of 9 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,050,000 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Kimi K3 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (AutomationBench, BrowseComp, Toolathlon), while GPT-5.6 Sol is better at 6 benchmarks (DeepSWE, GDPval-AA, GPQA, MMMU-Pro, MMMU-Pro (with tools), Terminal-Bench 2.1).
GPT-5.6 Sol shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($5.00/1M tokens).
For output processing, Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than GPT-5.6 Sol ($30.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5.6 Sol is more expensive than Kimi K3.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5.6 Sol accepts 1,050,000 input tokens compared to Kimi K3's 1,048,576 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while GPT-5.6 Sol is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Kimi K3 and GPT-5.6 Sol support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Kimi K3
GPT-5.6 Sol
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16, while GPT-5.6 Sol was released on 2026-07-09.
Kimi K3 is 0 month newer than GPT-5.6 Sol.
Jul 16, 2026
1 days ago
1w newerJul 9, 2026
1 weeks ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5.6 Sol has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-16, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5.6 Sol's training data extends to 2026-02-16, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.
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Feb 2026
Provider Availability
Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI. GPT-5.6 Sol is available from OpenAI.
Kimi K3
GPT-5.6 Sol
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Kimi K3
View detailsMoonshot AI
GPT-5.6 Sol
View detailsOpenAI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Kimi K3 and GPT-5.6 Sol side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Kimi K3 vs GPT-5.6 Sol.