Model Comparison
Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M1 80KWhich is better in 2026?
Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. MiniMax M1 80K is 6.2x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M1 80K — which is better?
Kimi K3 (by Moonshot AI) and MiniMax M1 80K (by MiniMax) 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 2 benchmarks (GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam), while MiniMax M1 80K is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, MiniMax M1 80K is roughly 6.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Kimi K3 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Kimi K3 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose MiniMax M1 80K if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.2x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Kimi K3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam), while MiniMax M1 80K is better at 0 benchmarks.
Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 5.5x more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K ($0.55/1M tokens).
For output processing, Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 6.8x more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K ($2.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than MiniMax M1 80K.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Kimi K3 has 2344.0B more parameters than MiniMax M1 80K, making it 514.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to MiniMax M1 80K's 1,000,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while MiniMax M1 80K is limited to 40,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Kimi K3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M1 80K does not.
Kimi K3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Kimi K3
MiniMax M1 80K
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16, while MiniMax M1 80K was released on 2025-06-16.
Kimi K3 is 13 months newer than MiniMax M1 80K.
Jul 16, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.1yr newerJun 16, 2025
1.1 years 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 K3 is available from Moonshot AI. MiniMax M1 80K is available from Novita.
Kimi K3
MiniMax M1 80K
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Kimi K3
View detailsMoonshot AI
MiniMax M1 80K
View detailsMiniMax
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Kimi K3 and MiniMax M1 80K side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M1 80K.