Model Comparison

Kimi K3 vs QwQ-32B-PreviewWhich is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. QwQ-32B-Preview is 36.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K3 vs QwQ-32B-Preview — which is better?

Kimi K3 (by Moonshot AI) and QwQ-32B-Preview (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 K3 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while QwQ-32B-Preview is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, QwQ-32B-Preview is roughly 36.9x 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 QwQ-32B-Preview if…

  • cost matters — it's about 36.9x 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 QwQ-32B-Preview 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

QwQ-32B-Preview costs less

For input processing, Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 75.0x more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview ($0.20/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than QwQ-32B-Preview.*

* 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
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.20
Best providerDeepinfra
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

2767.5B diff

Kimi K3 has 2767.5B more parameters than QwQ-32B-Preview, making it 8515.4% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
2.8Tparameters
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
32.5Bparameters
2800.0B
Kimi K3
32.5B
QwQ-32B-Preview

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to QwQ-32B-Preview's 32,768 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while QwQ-32B-Preview is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sat Jul 18 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Kimi K3 supports multimodal inputs, whereas QwQ-32B-Preview 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

QwQ-32B-Preview

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16, while QwQ-32B-Preview was released on 2024-11-28.

Kimi K3 is 20 months newer than QwQ-32B-Preview.

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

2 days ago

1.6yr newer
QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 28, 2024

1.6 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

QwQ-32B-Preview has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-28, while Kimi K3's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm QwQ-32B-Preview's training data extends to 2024-11-28, but cannot make a direct comparison without Kimi K3's cutoff date.

Kimi K3

—

QwQ-32B-Preview

Nov 2024

Provider Availability

Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI. QwQ-32B-Preview is available from DeepInfra, Hyperbolic, Fireworks, Together.

Kimi K3

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

QwQ-32B-Preview

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.89/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.89/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $1.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
* 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 65.2%)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

QwQ-32B-Preview

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K3 and QwQ-32B-Preview side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K3
✓ Preferred
QwQ-32B-Preview
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
QwQ-32B-Preview

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K3 vs QwQ-32B-Preview.

Which is better, Kimi K3 or QwQ-32B-Preview?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K3 is made by Moonshot AI and QwQ-32B-Preview 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 K3 compare to QwQ-32B-Preview in benchmarks?

Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%. QwQ-32B-Preview scores MATH-500: 90.6%, GPQA: 65.2%, AIME 2024: 50.0%, LiveCodeBench: 50.0%.

Is Kimi K3 cheaper than QwQ-32B-Preview?

QwQ-32B-Preview is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via moonshot. QwQ-32B-Preview costs $0.15/M input and $0.20/M output via deepinfra.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K3 and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Kimi K3 supports 1.0M tokens and QwQ-32B-Preview supports 33K 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 QwQ-32B-Preview?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 33K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.15/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Unknown vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K3 and QwQ-32B-Preview?

Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI and QwQ-32B-Preview is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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