Model Comparison

Seed 2.1 Pro vs MAI-Thinking-1Which is better in 2026?

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Seed 2.1 Pro vs MAI-Thinking-1 — which is better?

Seed 2.1 Pro (by ByteDance) and MAI-Thinking-1 (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.

Seed 2.1 Pro outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Pro), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 0 benchmarks. Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Seed 2.1 Pro if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Choose MAI-Thinking-1 if…

  • you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Seed 2.1 Pro outperforms in 1 benchmarks (SWE-Bench Pro), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Seed 2.1 Pro supports multimodal inputs, whereas MAI-Thinking-1 does not.

Seed 2.1 Pro can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Seed 2.1 Pro

Text
Images
Audio
Video

MAI-Thinking-1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Seed 2.1 Pro

Proprietary

Closed source

MAI-Thinking-1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Seed 2.1 Pro was released on 2026-06-24, while MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02.

Seed 2.1 Pro is 1 month newer than MAI-Thinking-1.

Seed 2.1 Pro

Jun 24, 2026

3 weeks ago

3w newer
MAI-Thinking-1

Jun 2, 2026

1 months 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

ByteDance
Supports multimodal inputs
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (57.5% vs 52.8%)
Microsoft

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Seed 2.1 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Seed 2.1 Pro
✓ Preferred
MAI-Thinking-1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
ByteDance
Seed 2.1 Pro
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1

FAQ

Common questions about Seed 2.1 Pro vs MAI-Thinking-1.

Which is better, Seed 2.1 Pro or MAI-Thinking-1?

Seed 2.1 Pro significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Seed 2.1 Pro is made by ByteDance and MAI-Thinking-1 is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Seed 2.1 Pro compare to MAI-Thinking-1 in benchmarks?

Seed 2.1 Pro scores CharXiv-D: 95.5%, MathVision: 94.5%, MathVista: 90.7%, MathVerse: 89.7%, Video-MME: 89.2%. MAI-Thinking-1 scores LongFact: 98.0%, AIME 2025: 97.0%, AIME 2026: 94.5%, GraphWalks: 90.0%, AIR-Bench: 88.0%.

What are the main differences between Seed 2.1 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Seed 2.1 Pro and MAI-Thinking-1?

Seed 2.1 Pro is developed by ByteDance and MAI-Thinking-1 is developed by Microsoft.

Related comparisons