Model Comparison

Kimi K3 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instructWhich is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 60.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K3 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct — which is better?

Kimi K3 (by Moonshot AI) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (by Microsoft) 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 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is roughly 60.0x 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 1 of 1 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 Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 60.0x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Kimi K3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs less

For input processing, Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 150.0x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerUnknown Organization
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

2796.2B diff

Kimi K3 has 2796.2B more parameters than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct, making it 73584.2% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
2.8Tparameters
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
3.8Bparameters
2800.0B
Kimi K3
3.8B
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct's 128,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is limited to 128,000 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Kimi K3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Phi-3.5-mini-instruct does not.

Kimi K3 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Kimi K3 is 23 months newer than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1.9yr newer
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.9 years 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 K3 is available from Moonshot AI. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.

Kimi K3

moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (93.5% vs 30.4%)
Microsoft
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K3 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K3
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K3 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Which is better, Kimi K3 or Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K3 is made by Moonshot AI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Kimi K3 compare to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct in benchmarks?

Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%.

Is Kimi K3 cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 30.0x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via moonshot. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K3 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Kimi K3 supports 1.0M tokens and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Kimi K3 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 128K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.10/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Unknown vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K3 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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