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Model comparison

GPT-4.1 mini vs Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)

Data verified

Head-to-head evidence from 19 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.

43.1/100
Margin
15.5pts
winning →
58.61/100
0 category wins2 category wins

Public leaderboard positions: GPT-4.1 mini #160 (Estimated); Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) #63 (Estimated). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.

Evidence parity. GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) share 19 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 3 results are unique to GPT-4.1 mini; 8 to Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning).

Updated July 24, 2026
Shared results
19
GPT-4.1 mini only
3
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) only
8
Comparable categories
2 / 8

Pick Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) if you want the stronger benchmark profile. GPT-4.1 mini only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you need the larger 1M context window.

Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 19 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.

Why this result

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 58.61 to 43.1. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)'s sharpest advantage is in coding, where it averages 76.8 against 23.6. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 23.6% to 76.8%.

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.60 input / $3.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.40 input / $1.60 output per 1M tokens for GPT-4.1 mini. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is the reasoning model in the pair, while GPT-4.1 mini is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. GPT-4.1 mini gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning).

Category breakdown

Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.

Category scores and score margins for GPT-4.1 mini and Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)
CategoryGPT-4.1 miniΔKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)
CodingGPT-4.1 mini23.6Margin 53.2Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)76.8
KnowledgeGPT-4.1 mini64.2Margin 23.0Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)87.2
AgenticGPT-4.1 miniNot measuredMarginNo overlapKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)55.0
MathGPT-4.1 mini4.5MarginNo overlapKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not measured
MultimodalGPT-4.1 miniNot measuredMarginNo overlapKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)78.5
Inst. FollowingGPT-4.1 mini88.5MarginNo overlapKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not measured

Decisive benchmark drivers

The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.

More
A · GPT-4.1 miniB · Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)
  1. SWE-bench Verified

    Coding
    Source ↗
    A 23.6%B 76.8%
    Winner: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Δ 53.2
    SWE-bench Verified: GPT-4.1 mini scored 23.6%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 76.8%. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins this benchmark.
  2. GPQA

    Knowledge
    Source ↗
    A 64.2%B 87.6%
    Winner: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Δ 23.4
    GPQA: GPT-4.1 mini scored 64.2%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 87.6%. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins this benchmark.

Operational comparison

Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.

MetricGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Comparison
Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokensGPT-4.1 mini$0.4 input / $1.6 outputKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)$0.6 input / $3 outputGPT-4.1 mini has the lower combined listed price.
Generation speedtokens per secondGPT-4.1 mini80 tok/sKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not availableA complete speed comparison is not available.
First-answer latencyseconds to first tokenGPT-4.1 mini0.76 sKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not availableA complete latency comparison is not available.
Context windowmaximum listed tokensGPT-4.1 mini1MKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)128KGPT-4.1 mini lists the larger context window.

Benchmark Deep Dive

Agentic
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
AA Agentic IndexSource 1.7%21.7%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
τ²-bench resultsSource 52.9%95.9%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
GDPval-AASource 0.4%25.1%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
GDPval-AASource 5081003Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
Terminal-Bench 2.0Source 50.8%Not comparable
BrowseCompSource 60.6%Not comparable
APEX-Agents-AASource 11.5%Not comparable
Gert LabsSource 32.58%Not comparable
CodingKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
SWE-bench VerifiedSource 23.6%76.8%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA Coding IndexSource 20.2%46.8%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-SciCodeSource 40.4%49.0%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
Vibe Code BenchSource 17.54%Not comparable
Reasoning
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
AA-LCRSource 42.3%65.3%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
CritPtSource 0.0%3.1%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
KnowledgeKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
MMLUSource 87.5%Not comparable
GPQASource 64.2%87.6%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource 14.8%35.4%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-GPQA DiamondSource 66.4%87.9%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-HLESource 4.6%29.4%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-Omniscience IndexSource -50.1%-8.1%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-Omniscience AccuracySource 17.5%34.3%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource 82.0%64.6%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
MMLU-ProSource 87.1%Not comparable
Math
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)Source 4.483%Not comparable
AIME 2025Source 96.1%Not comparable
Multimodal
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
AA-MMMU-ProSource 58.7%75.4%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
Design Arena WebsiteSource 10271279Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
MMMU-ProSource 78.5%Not comparable
Inst. Following
BenchmarkGPT-4.1 miniKimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Result
IFEvalSource 88.5%Not comparable
AA-IFBenchSource 38.3%70.2%Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads
Frequently Asked Questions (3)

Which is better, GPT-4.1 mini or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 58.61 to 43.1. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 23.6% and 76.8%.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, GPT-4.1 mini or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 87.2 versus 64.2. Inside this category, AA-Omniscience Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for coding, GPT-4.1 mini or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?

Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 76.8 versus 23.6. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

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Last updated: July 24, 2026