Kimi K3 vs MiMo-V2.5-Pro

Moonshot AI · China  |  Xiaomi · China · Updated June 2026

Quick verdict

Pick Kimi K3 for largest open-weight model at release — 2.8t sparse moe, self-hostable or 1m-token context with native vision (text, image and video). Pick MiMo-V2.5-Pro for complex software engineering (top-ranked on swe-bench pro) or long-horizon autonomous tasks (1,000+ tool calls). On a tight budget at scale, MiMo-V2.5-Pro is the value pick.

Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI) and MiMo-V2.5-Pro (Xiaomi) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Kimi K3 is moonshot's 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model — the largest open AI at release, with a 1M context and strong self-reported coding scores. MiMo-V2.5-Pro is xiaomi's flagship agentic model — autonomous, long-horizon software engineering at a fraction of frontier cost. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.

Key differences at a glance

Side-by-side specs

SpecKimi K3MiMo-V2.5-Pro
ProviderMoonshot AI (China) Xiaomi (China)
ReleasedJuly 27, 2026 April 22, 2026
Context window1M (~1,573 pages) 1M (~1,500 pages)
Price (in/out)$3/$15 per 1M tokens $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens
Open weight?Yes — self-hostable Yes — self-hostable
Modalitiestext, image, video, code text, image, video, code
SWE-Bench VerifiedNot published Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1MNot published Not published

Who wins what

Largest open-weight model at release — 2.8T sparse MoE, self-hostable

Kimi K3

Moonshot's 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model — the largest open AI at release, with a 1M context and strong self-reported coding scores — and it is the newer of the two.

1M-token context with native vision (text, image and video)

Kimi K3

Kimi K3 lists 1M-token context with native vision (text, image and video) among its strengths; MiMo-V2.5-Pro does not.

Vendor reports 81.2 FrontierSWE and 88.3 Terminal-Bench 2.1 on its own harness

Kimi K3

MiMo-V2.5-Pro is comparatively weak here — benchmark rankings are largely vendor-stated

Complex software engineering (top-ranked on SWE-bench Pro)

MiMo-V2.5-Pro

Kimi K3 is comparatively weak here — coding scores use Moonshot FrontierSWE, not standard SWE-Bench Verified

Long-horizon autonomous tasks (1,000+ tool calls)

MiMo-V2.5-Pro

Xiaomi's flagship agentic model — autonomous, long-horizon software engineering at a fraction of frontier cost — and it runs cheaper at $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens.

Strong on GDPVal and ClawEval

MiMo-V2.5-Pro

MiMo-V2.5-Pro lists strong on GDPVal and ClawEval among its strengths; Kimi K3 does not.

Lowest cost at scale

MiMo-V2.5-Pro

At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.

Which should you pick?

A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume

→ MiMo-V2.5-Pro

At $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens it undercuts Kimi K3, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.

Someone analysing very long documents or codebases

→ Kimi K3

Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.

Anyone whose priority is largest open-weight model at release — 2.8t sparse moe, self-hostable

→ Kimi K3

It is specifically built for that.

Anyone whose priority is complex software engineering (top-ranked on swe-bench pro)

→ MiMo-V2.5-Pro

That is its strongest area.

Kimi K3: where it fits

Moonshot's 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model — the largest open AI at release, with a 1M context and strong self-reported coding scores. Released July 27, 2026 by Moonshot AI, it is built for largest open-weight model at release — 2.8T sparse MoE, self-hostable, 1M-token context with native vision (text, image and video), vendor reports 81.2 FrontierSWE and 88.3 Terminal-Bench 2.1 on its own harness, and fresh-input pricing of $3/M (cached $0.30/M), flat across the full 1M context.

Its trade-offs are real: coding scores use Moonshot FrontierSWE, not standard SWE-Bench Verified, 2.8T params need serious hardware to self-host — weights are free, running is not, no independent benchmark reproduction yet at release, and image input but no audio or video. At $3 in / $15 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.

MiMo-V2.5-Pro: where it fits

Xiaomi's flagship agentic model — autonomous, long-horizon software engineering at a fraction of frontier cost. Released April 22, 2026 by Xiaomi, it is built for complex software engineering (top-ranked on SWE-bench Pro), long-horizon autonomous tasks (1,000+ tool calls), strong on GDPVal and ClawEval, and agent-framework integration.

Its trade-offs: benchmark rankings are largely vendor-stated, and limited Western adoption and tooling. At $0.435 in / $0.87 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.

The bottom line for this matchup

Kimi K3 and MiMo-V2.5-Pro overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. MiMo-V2.5-Pro costs less per token; Kimi K3 holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Kimi K3 for largest open-weight model at release — 2.8t sparse moe, self-hostable, MiMo-V2.5-Pro for complex software engineering (top-ranked on swe-bench pro). Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.

Want both Kimi K3 and MiMo-V2.5-Pro without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.

See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Is Kimi K3 or MiMo-V2.5-Pro better for coding?

Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Kimi K3 leans toward largest open-weight model at release — 2.8t sparse moe, self-hostable while MiMo-V2.5-Pro leans toward complex software engineering (top-ranked on swe-bench pro), and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.

Which is cheaper, Kimi K3 or MiMo-V2.5-Pro?

MiMo-V2.5-Pro is cheaper — $3/$15 per 1M tokens vs $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens, roughly 6.9× apart on input.

Which has the bigger context window?

Effectively neither — 1M vs 1M is a difference of a few percent. Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.

Can I use both Kimi K3 and MiMo-V2.5-Pro together?

Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Kimi K3, MiMo-V2.5-Pro and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.

Which is newer, Kimi K3 or MiMo-V2.5-Pro?

Kimi K3 — released July 27, 2026, about 3 months after MiMo-V2.5-Pro.

Related comparisons

Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.