Model comparison
Kimi K2 vs Llama 4 Maverick
Head-to-head evidence from 13 shared benchmark results across 7 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Public leaderboard positions: Kimi K2 #189 (Supported); Llama 4 Maverick #191 (Supported). Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Kimi K2 and Llama 4 Maverick share 13 comparable benchmark results. 1 of 8 categories are comparable. 1 result is unique to Kimi K2; 5 to Llama 4 Maverick.
Updated July 20, 2026- Shared results
- 13
- Kimi K2 only
- 1
- Llama 4 Maverick only
- 5
- Comparable categories
- 1 / 8
Pick Kimi K2 if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Llama 4 Maverick 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 13 shared benchmark results across 7 evidence categories; 1 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 is clearly ahead on the BenchAlign aggregate, 27.19 to 23.49. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Kimi K2's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 16.1 against 0.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), 21.404% to 0.690%.
Kimi K2 is also the more expensive model on tokens at $0.60 input / $2.50 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.00 input / $0.00 output per 1M tokens for Llama 4 Maverick. That is roughly Infinityx on output cost alone. Llama 4 Maverick gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for Kimi K2.
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 | Δ | Llama 4 Maverick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | Kimi K216.1 | Margin← 15.4 | Llama 4 Maverick0.7 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)
MathA 21.404%B 0.690%Winner: Kimi K2Δ 20.7FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3): Kimi K2 scored 21.404%; Llama 4 Maverick scored 0.690%. Kimi K2 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Kimi K2 | Llama 4 Maverick | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Kimi K2$0.6 input / $2.5 output | Llama 4 Maverick$0 input / $0 output | Llama 4 Maverick has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | Kimi K243 tok/s | Llama 4 Maverick121 tok/s | Llama 4 Maverick has the higher measured throughput. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | Kimi K21.51 s | Llama 4 Maverick0.95 s | Llama 4 Maverick reaches the first token sooner. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Kimi K2128K | Llama 4 Maverick1M | Llama 4 Maverick lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic4 benchmarks
Coding2 benchmarks
Reasoning2 benchmarks
Knowledge6 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2 | Llama 4 Maverick | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 19.4% | 14.3% | Kimi K2 leads |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 76.6% | 67.1% | Kimi K2 leads |
| AA-HLESource | 7.0% | 4.8% | Kimi K2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -27.5% | -41.8% | Kimi K2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 26.8% | 24.3% | Kimi K2 leads |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 74.2% | 87.3% | Kimi K2 leads |
MathKimi K2 wins2 benchmarks
Multimodal2 benchmarks
Inst. Following1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Kimi K2 | Llama 4 Maverick | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA-IFBenchSource | 41.5% | 43.0% | Llama 4 Maverick leads |
Frequently Asked Questions (2)
Which is better, Kimi K2 or Llama 4 Maverick?
Kimi K2 is ahead on BenchLM's BenchAlign leaderboard, 27.19 to 23.49. The biggest single separator in this matchup is FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3), where the scores are 21.404% and 0.690%.
Which is better for math, Kimi K2 or Llama 4 Maverick?
Kimi K2 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 16.1 versus 0.7. Inside this category, FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3) is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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