Kimi K3 (Max) vs MiniMax-M3.1-Flash
Which is better for the money: Kimi K3 (Max) by Kimi or MiniMax-M3.1-Flash by MiniMax? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-25.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
Kimi K3 (Max) scores 0.9 points higher (43.6 vs 42.7) but costs 13× as much to run the benchmark ($3658 vs $283; flagship vs mid-range cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick Kimi K3 (Max) when you need intelligence above 42.7, and MiniMax-M3.1-Flash when 42.7 is enough.
| Metric | Kimi K3 (Max) | MiniMax-M3.1-Flash | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 43.6 | 42.7 | −2.1% MiniMax-M3.1-Flash is 2.1% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $3,658.07 | $283.18 | −92.3% MiniMax-M3.1-Flash is 92.3% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 56.93s | 23.83s | −58.1% MiniMax-M3.1-Flash is 58.1% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $3.00 / $15.0 | $0.15 / $0.60 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
MiniMax-M3.1-Flash vs Kimi K3 (Max): 2.1% less intelligence, 92.3% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 58.1% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- Kimi K3 (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, Kimi K3.1 Pro scores 55.10 for $3117.
- MiniMax-M3.1-Flash is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, MiMo-V2.6-Pro scores 46.30 for $207.
Kimi K3 (Max)MiniMax-M3.1-FlashToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/kimi-k3/minimax-m3-1-flash · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/kimi-k3/minimax-m3-1-flash?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill