MiniMax M2.1 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax M3.1 Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 48.7 to 31.3. MiniMax M3.1 Flash is 2.0x cheaper per token.
MiniMax · MiniMax · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash leads the overall LLM Stats Score 48.7 to 31.3, ranking #29 overall.
On price, MiniMax M3.1 Flash is roughly 2.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose MiniMax M2.1
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose MiniMax M3.1 Flash
- overall performance matters — it scores 48.7 and ranks #29 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- cost matters — it's about 2.0x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Oct 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
25 reported for MiniMax M2.1 · 15 for MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax M2.1 and MiniMax M3.1 Flashdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, MiniMax M2.1 ($0.30/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than MiniMax M3.1 Flash ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, MiniMax M2.1 ($1.20/1M tokens) is 2.0x more expensive than MiniMax M3.1 Flash ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, MiniMax M2.1 is more expensive than MiniMax M3.1 Flash.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. MiniMax M2.1 can generate longer responses up to 1,000,000 tokens, while MiniMax M3.1 Flash is limited to 524,288 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
MiniMax M3.1 Flash supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M2.1 does not.
MiniMax M3.1 Flash can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
MiniMax M2.1
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
License
Usage and distribution terms
MiniMax M2.1 is licensed under MIT, while MiniMax M3.1 Flash uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
MiniMax M2.1 was released on 2025-12-23, while MiniMax M3.1 Flash was released on 2026-10-19.
MiniMax M3.1 Flash is 10 months newer than MiniMax M2.1.
Dec 23, 2025
10 months ago
Oct 19, 2026
3 days ago
10mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
MiniMax M2.1 is available from MiniMax. MiniMax M3.1 Flash is available from MiniMax.
MiniMax M2.1
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against MiniMax M2.1 and MiniMax M3.1 Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about MiniMax M2.1 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash.