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Qwen 3.8 Max vs Kimi K3
Of the 4 public leaderboards that rate both, Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on 3 and Kimi K3 on 1. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 55.6 and Kimi K3 at 27.1 (out of 100). On each maker's API, Qwen 3.8 Max costs $2 / $6 per 1M tokens (input / output) and Kimi K3 $3 / $15.
Scores as published by each board; table composed November 8, 2026.
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Leaderboard by leaderboard
| Board | Qwen 3.8 Max | Kimi K3 | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Elo (community votes) | 1,677.1 | 1,656.5 | Qwen 3.8 Max |
| LiveBench global average (0-100) | 61.6 | 64.6 | Kimi K3 |
| SimpleBench AVG@5 % (private set) | 62.5 | 60.7 | Qwen 3.8 Max |
| Vals AI Vals Index accuracy % · weighted finance + coding tasks | 59 | 53 | Qwen 3.8 Max |
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, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 38.3 (#28 of 45) and Kimi K3 at 66 (#16). Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on 1 of the 3 coding boards that rate both and Kimi K3 on 2.
| Coding board | Qwen 3.8 Max | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena · Coding | 1,502.2 | 1,506.5 |
| LiveBench · Coding | 60.3 | 59.3 |
| Vals Vibe Code Bench | 77.1 | 85 |
Qwen 3.8 Max at a glance
- Developer
- Alibaba
- Status
- Live since August 1, 2026
- API price
- $2 input / $6 output per 1M tokens · Alibaba, qwen3.8-max
- Context window
- 1M tokens
Live - flagship since Aug 1 · 2.4T tier listed Aug 12.
Qwen3.8-Max quietly lost its preview label — Alibaba is now serving it as the flagship
2026-08-03 · Alibaba is serving Qwen3.8-Max on chat.qwen.ai under the plain id `qwen3.8-max`. The preview suffix is gone.
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.
Qwen 3.8 Max vs Kimi K3: quick answers
Which is better, Qwen 3.8 Max or Kimi K3?
It depends on what you measure. Of the 4 public leaderboards that rate both, Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on 3 and Kimi K3 on 1. Qwen 3.8 Max's widest lead is on Vals AI; Kimi K3's widest lead is on LiveBench. On the ArtificialWatch Index, which takes the median of each model's percentile across the boards that score it, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 55.6 and Kimi K3 at 27.1 (out of 100).
Which is newer, Qwen 3.8 Max or Kimi K3?
Qwen 3.8 Max. It went live on August 1, 2026, 17 days after Kimi K3 (July 15, 2026).
Which is cheaper, Qwen 3.8 Max or Kimi K3?
Qwen 3.8 Max is cheaper on both input and output. On each vendor's own API, Qwen 3.8 Max is $2 input / $6 output per million tokens and Kimi K3 is $3 input / $15 output per million tokens. Prices as published in the models.dev catalog, as of 2026-11-08.
Which has the bigger context window, Qwen 3.8 Max or Kimi K3?
Kimi K3, at 1.05M tokens against Qwen 3.8 Max's 1M, as each vendor lists it.
How do Qwen 3.8 Max and Kimi K3 compare for coding?
On the ArtificialWatch coding index, Qwen 3.8 Max is at 38.3 (#28 of 45) and Kimi K3 at 66 (#16). Qwen 3.8 Max scores higher on 1 of the 3 coding boards that rate both and Kimi K3 on 2.
Who makes Qwen 3.8 Max and Kimi K3?
Qwen 3.8 Max is from Alibaba; 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 8, 2026). Boards measure different things, so raw scores are only comparable within a row.
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