Model comparison
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) vs MiniMax M3
Head-to-head evidence from 22 shared benchmark results across 6 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Verified leaderboard positions: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) unranked; MiniMax M3 #18
BenchAlign evidence: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) estimated; MiniMax M3 supported. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) and MiniMax M3 share 22 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 6 results are unique to Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning); 23 to MiniMax M3.
Updated July 16, 2026- Shared results
- 22
- Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) only
- 6
- MiniMax M3 only
- 23
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) makes more sense if multimodal & grounded is the priority or you want the stronger reasoning-first profile; MiniMax M3 is the better fit if agentic is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 22 shared benchmark results across 6 evidence categories; 3 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) and MiniMax M3 finish on the same provisional overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The provisional headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.60 input / $3.00 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.30 input / $1.20 output per 1M tokens for MiniMax M3. That is roughly 2.5x on output cost alone. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is the reasoning model in the pair, while MiniMax M3 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. MiniMax M3 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 | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | Δ | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agentic | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)55.0 | Margin→ 17.3 | MiniMax M372.3 |
| Multimodal | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)78.5 | Margin← 13.6 | MiniMax M364.9 |
| Coding | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)76.8 | Margin← 4.6 | MiniMax M372.2 |
| Knowledge | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)87.2 | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M3Not measured |
| Math | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not measured | MarginNo overlap | MiniMax M385.7 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
BrowseComp
AgenticA 60.6%B 83.5%Winner: MiniMax M3Δ 22.9BrowseComp: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 60.6%; MiniMax M3 scored 83.5%. MiniMax M3 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
Terminal-Bench 2.0
AgenticA 50.8%B 66%Winner: MiniMax M3Δ 15.2Terminal-Bench 2.0: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 50.8%; MiniMax M3 scored 66%. MiniMax M3 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 76.8%B 80.5%Winner: MiniMax M3Δ 3.7SWE-bench Verified: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 76.8%; MiniMax M3 scored 80.5%. MiniMax M3 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 78.5%B 78.1%Winner: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Δ 0.4MMMU-Pro: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 78.5%; MiniMax M3 scored 78.1%. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)$0.6 input / $3 output | MiniMax M3$0.3 input / $1.2 output | MiniMax M3 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not available | MiniMax M3Not available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not available | MiniMax M3Not available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)128K | MiniMax M31M | MiniMax M3 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
AgenticMiniMax M3 wins18 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 50.8% | 66% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| BrowseCompSource | 60.6% | 83.5% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| APEX-Agents-AASource | 11.5% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 95.9% | 88.9% | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads |
| Gert LabsSource | 32.58% | — | Not comparable |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 21.7% | 35.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| GDPval-AASource | 25.4% | 44.7% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| GDPval-AASource | 1009 | 1395 | MiniMax M3 leads |
| OSWorld-VerifiedSource | — | 70.1% | Not comparable |
| MCP AtlasSource | — | 74.2% | Not comparable |
| Claw-EvalSource | — | 74.5% | Not comparable |
| GDPval rubricsSource | — | 74.7% | Not comparable |
| BankerToolBenchSource | — | 76.1% | Not comparable |
| ResearchClawBenchSource | — | 19.8% | Not comparable |
| OSWorld 2.0Source | — | 4.6% | Not comparable |
| AA BriefcaseSource | — | 1110 | Not comparable |
| AA EnterpriseOps-GymSource | — | 32.1% | Not comparable |
| AA Harvey LABSource | — | 6.7% | Not comparable |
CodingKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins12 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 76.8% | 80.5% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| Vibe Code BenchSource | 17.54% | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench HardSource | 34.8% | 42.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-SciCodeSource | 49.0% | 45.4% | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads |
| AA Coding IndexSource | 46.8% | 58.6% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| SWE-bench ProSource | — | 59% | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 66.0% | Not comparable |
| NL2RepoSource | — | 42.1% | Not comparable |
| VIBE V2Source | — | 50.1% | Not comparable |
| SVG-BenchSource | — | 63.7% | Not comparable |
| KernelBench HardSource | — | 28.8% | Not comparable |
| AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Source | — | 65.2% | Not comparable |
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledge9 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 87.6% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | 87.1% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 35.4% | 44.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 87.9% | 92.9% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 29.4% | 37.1% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -8.1% | 1.4% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 34.3% | 15.0% | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 64.6% | 16.1% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| AA Openness IndexSource | — | 33.3% | Not comparable |
Math2 benchmarks
MultimodalKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMMU-ProSource | 78.5% | 78.1% | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) leads |
| AA-MMMU-ProSource | 75.4% | 78.6% | MiniMax M3 leads |
| Design Arena WebsiteSource | 1284 | 1294 | MiniMax M3 leads |
| OfficeQA ProSource | — | 45.1% | Not comparable |
| OmniDocBench 1.5Source | — | 91.6% | Not comparable |
| VideoMMMUSource | — | 84.6% | Not comparable |
| Video-MME (with subtitle)Source | — | 85.4% | Not comparable |
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | MiniMax M3 | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 70.2% | 82.9% | MiniMax M3 leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) or MiniMax M3?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) and MiniMax M3 are tied on the provisional overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for coding, Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) or MiniMax M3?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 76.8 versus 72.2. Inside this category, AA Coding Index is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for agentic tasks, Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3 has the edge for agentic tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.3 versus 55. Inside this category, GDPval-AA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) or MiniMax M3?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 78.5 versus 64.9. Inside this category, Design Arena Website is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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