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MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K3
Kimi K3 scores higher than MiniMax M3 on all 3 public leaderboards that rate both. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, MiniMax M3 is at 5.1 and Kimi K3 at 38.5 (out of 100). On each maker's API, MiniMax M3 costs $0.30 / $1.20 per 1M tokens (input / output) and Kimi K3 $3 / $15.
Scores as published by each board; table composed November 10, 2026.
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Leaderboard by leaderboard
| Board | MiniMax M3 | Kimi K3 | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Elo (community votes) | 1,484.2 | 1,657.1 | Kimi K3 |
| SimpleBench AVG@5 % (private set) | 45.8 | 60.7 | Kimi K3 |
| Epoch AI Epoch Capabilities Index (ECI) · many benchmarks on one scale | 147.8 | 158.5 | Kimi K3 |
Raw scores are each board's own scale, so compare within a row, not across rows. Full table: the bench index.
For coding
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, MiniMax M3 is at 16.8 (#44 of 47) and Kimi K3 at 65.3 (#16). Kimi K3 scores higher on both coding boards that rate them.
| Coding board | MiniMax M3 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena · Coding | 1,468.6 | 1,505.5 |
| Vals Vibe Code Bench | 47.6 | 85 |
MiniMax M3 at a glance
- Developer
- MiniMax
- Status
- Live since May 31, 2026
- API price
- $0.30 input / $1.20 output per 1M tokens · MiniMax, MiniMax-M3
- Context window
- 1M tokens
Live — $0.30/$1.20 per 1M.
Kimi K3 at a glance
- Developer
- Moonshot
- Status
- Live since July 15, 2026
- API price
- $3 input / $15 output per 1M tokens · Moonshot AI, kimi-k3
- Context window
- 1.05M tokens
Live — dropped Jul 15 · 2.8T · open weights landed Jul 27 (1.56 TB, MXFP4).
Kimi K3, day one: impressive, expensive, and a little slow
2026-07-16 · Kimi K3 has been live for a day, and the picture forming is more interesting than the launch-night hype. Here's everything we're seeing so far.
MiniMax M3 vs Kimi K3: quick answers
Which is better, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K3?
It depends on what you measure. Kimi K3 scores higher than MiniMax M3 on all 3 public leaderboards that rate both. Kimi K3's widest lead is on LMArena. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, MiniMax M3 is at 5.1 and Kimi K3 at 38.5 (out of 100).
Which is newer, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K3?
Kimi K3. It went live on July 15, 2026, 45 days after MiniMax M3 (May 31, 2026).
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K3?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on both input and output. On each vendor's own API, MiniMax M3 is $0.30 input / $1.20 output per million tokens and Kimi K3 is $3 input / $15 output per million tokens. MiniMax M3's rate rises for prompts over 512K tokens. Prices as published in the models.dev catalog, as of 2026-11-10.
Which has the bigger context window, MiniMax M3 or Kimi K3?
Kimi K3, at 1.05M tokens against MiniMax M3's 1M, as each vendor lists it.
How do MiniMax M3 and Kimi K3 compare for coding?
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, MiniMax M3 is at 16.8 (#44 of 47) and Kimi K3 at 65.3 (#16). Kimi K3 scores higher on both coding boards that rate them.
Who makes MiniMax M3 and Kimi K3?
MiniMax M3 is from MiniMax; Kimi K3 is from Moonshot.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each score is the leaderboard's own published figure, read by ArtificialWatch (table composed November 10, 2026). Boards measure different things, so raw scores are only comparable within a row.
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Also: the bench index · API pricing · what a workload costs on each · the wire