Choose Kimi K3 When
- A 1M context window versus 262.1K on Kimi K2.6
- A 57.1 Intelligence Index and 76.2 Coding Index, versus 44.2 and 61.8
- Stronger published GPQA, HLE, SciCode, and long-context reasoning scores
Kimi K3 vs Kimi K2.6
Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI and Kimi K2.6 from Moonshot AI are shown side by side so you can compare pricing, model IDs, context and output limits, modalities, tool use, release details, and benchmark results where data is available.
Overall Recommendation
Kimi K3 is the capability upgrade, with roughly 4× the context window and stronger TokenHub benchmark results. Stay on Kimi K2.6 when substantially lower token cost or its 262.1K maximum output matters more.
Comparison Highlights
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Best For
Frontier capabilitydemanding multimodal agents
Everyday multimodal worklower costlonger outputs
How To Read ItUse-case synthesis from model capabilities and positioning.
Workload Fit
Advanced reasoningMultimodalLong-horizon agents
General useStable integrationCost control
How To Read ItThe workloads each model is most directly shaped for.
Input
$2.8571/M
$0.9286/MEdge
How To Read ItLower is better when prompts or retrieval payloads are large.
Output
$14.2857/M
$3.8571/MEdge
How To Read ItLower is better for reasoning-heavy or long-generation traffic.
Context length
1MEdge
262.1K
How To Read ItHigher is better for repositories, retrieval packs, and transcripts.
Input modalities
Text, Image
Text, Image, VideoEdge
How To Read ItBroader input support reduces the need for separate vision or video models.
Model Selection Guide
Choose Kimi K2.6 When
- $0.9286 input and $3.8571 output per million tokens
- A 262.1K maximum output, twice Kimi K3 at 131.1K
- The same text, image, and video input coverage at a much lower price
Basic Information
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Name
Kimi K3Kimi K3
Model id
Kimi K3kimi-k3
Intro
Kimi K3Kimi K3 is a high-performance AI model designed for advanced reasoning, coding, and complex task execution. It delivers strong performance on large-scale programming projects, multi-step problem solving, and knowledge-intensive applications. With broad context handling and multimodal capabilities, K3 is suitable for building powerful AI agents, developer tools, and enterprise-level applications.
Author
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Released date
Kimi K32026-07-16
Context length
Kimi K31M
Max output tokens
Kimi K3131.1K
Name
Kimi K2.6Kimi K2.6
Model id
Kimi K2.6kimi-k2.6
Intro
Kimi K2.6Kimi K2.6 is a versatile AI model that combines strong reasoning ability with efficient everyday performance. It works well for conversational AI, content generation, analysis, coding assistance, and multimodal applications. K2.6 provides a reliable balance between quality, speed, and flexibility for a wide range of production use cases.
Author
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Released date
Kimi K2.62026-04-21
Context length
Kimi K2.6262.1K
Max output tokens
Kimi K2.6262.1K
Name
Kimi K3Kimi K3
Name
Kimi K2.6Kimi K2.6
Model id
Kimi K3kimi-k3
Model id
Kimi K2.6kimi-k2.6
Intro
Kimi K3Kimi K3 is a high-performance AI model designed for advanced reasoning, coding, and complex task execution. It delivers strong performance on large-scale programming projects, multi-step problem solving, and knowledge-intensive applications. With broad context handling and multimodal capabilities, K3 is suitable for building powerful AI agents, developer tools, and enterprise-level applications.
Intro
Kimi K2.6Kimi K2.6 is a versatile AI model that combines strong reasoning ability with efficient everyday performance. It works well for conversational AI, content generation, analysis, coding assistance, and multimodal applications. K2.6 provides a reliable balance between quality, speed, and flexibility for a wide range of production use cases.
Author
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Author
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Released date
Kimi K32026-07-16
Released date
Kimi K2.62026-04-21
Context length
Kimi K31M
Context length
Kimi K2.6262.1K
Max output tokens
Kimi K3131.1K
Max output tokens
Kimi K2.6262.1K
Pricing
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Input
Kimi K3$2.8571/M
Output
Kimi K3$14.2857/M
Cached input
Kimi K3$0.2857/M
Input
Kimi K2.6$0.9286/M
Output
Kimi K2.6$3.8571/M
Cached input
Kimi K2.6$0.1571/M
Input
Kimi K3$2.8571/M
Input
Kimi K2.6$0.9286/M
Output
Kimi K3$14.2857/M
Output
Kimi K2.6$3.8571/M
Cached input
Kimi K3$0.2857/M
Cached input
Kimi K2.6$0.1571/M
Capabilities
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Reasoning
Kimi K3
Knowledge
Kimi K3n/a
Attachment
Kimi K3
Input modalities
Kimi K3Text, Image
Output modalities
Kimi K3Text
Temperature
Kimi K3
Tool use
Kimi K3
Reasoning
Kimi K2.6
Knowledge
Kimi K2.62025-01-01
Attachment
Kimi K2.6
Input modalities
Kimi K2.6Text, Image, Video
Output modalities
Kimi K2.6Text
Temperature
Kimi K2.6
Tool use
Kimi K2.6
Reasoning
Kimi K3
Reasoning
Kimi K2.6
Knowledge
Kimi K3n/a
Knowledge
Kimi K2.62025-01-01
Attachment
Kimi K3
Attachment
Kimi K2.6
Input modalities
Kimi K3Text, Image
Input modalities
Kimi K2.6Text, Image, Video
Output modalities
Kimi K3Text
Output modalities
Kimi K2.6Text
Temperature
Kimi K3
Temperature
Kimi K2.6
Tool use
Kimi K3
Tool use
Kimi K2.6
Benchmark
Intelligence
wins
57.1
Kimi K3
34.6
Kimi K2.6
Coding
wins
76.2
Kimi K3
n/a
Kimi K2.6
Kimi K3Moonshot AI
Kimi K2.6Moonshot AI
Knowledge & Reasoning
GPQA
wins93.5%
HLE
wins44.3%
GPQA
78.8%
HLE
18.2%
Coding
SciCode
wins58.7%
Terminal-Bench Hard
n/a
SciCode
39.5%
Terminal-Bench Hard
wins37.9%
Instruction Following & Agent Tasks
IFBench
n/a
AA-LCR
wins74.7%
Tau2
n/a
IFBench
wins44.3%
AA-LCR
57.7%
Tau2
wins93.9%
FAQ
Which model is better, Kimi K3 or Kimi K2.6?+
Kimi K3 and Kimi K2.6 should be compared by workload. This page places price, context, output limits, capabilities, and benchmark data side by side. It is also relevant to: kimi k3 vs kimi k2.6, kimi k3 vs k2.6, kimi k3 comparison.
Is Kimi K2.6 cheaper than Kimi K3?+
Use the pricing rows above to compare input, output, and cached input prices for Kimi K3 and Kimi K2.6.
Which model supports a longer context length?+
Kimi K3 lists 1M context length, while Kimi K2.6 lists 262.1K.
Can I access both models through TokenHub?+
If both models are available in the TokenHub catalog, you can route requests to Kimi K3 and Kimi K2.6 through the TokenHub API.