MiMo-V2.6-Pro vs MiniMax M3
Xiaomi · China | MiniMax · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick MiMo-V2.6-Pro for natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters or 1.02 trillion total parameters, 42b active per token (sparse moe), mit-licensed and self-hostable. Pick MiniMax M3 for open-weight 428b moe (~23b active per token) with a 1m-token context or native multimodal input — text, image and video. On a tight budget at scale, MiniMax M3 is the value pick.
MiMo-V2.6-Pro (Xiaomi) and MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. MiMo-V2.6-Pro is xiaomi's flagship omnimodal model — 1.02T parameters, native text/image/video/audio, MIT-licensed, released September 22, 2026. MiniMax M3 is miniMax's open-weight 428B multimodal model with a 1M context — strong reported coding (59.0 SWE-Bench Pro) at low entry pricing. Their biggest split is price, and the breakdown below shows exactly how that plays out for your workload.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: MiniMax M3 is about 1.9× cheaper on input ($0.23/$0.96 per 1M tokens vs $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens) — modest, but it adds up at steady volume.
- ▸Context window: both advertise 1M tokens (~1,573 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: MiMo-V2.6-Pro is the newer model by about 4 months (released September 22, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | MiMo-V2.6-Pro | MiniMax M3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Xiaomi (China) | MiniMax (China) |
| Released | September 22, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M tokens (~1,573 pages) | 1M (~1,573 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens | $0.23/$0.96 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | Yes — self-hostable | Yes — self-hostable |
| Modalities | text, image, video, audio | text, image, video, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters
MiMo-V2.6-Pro
Xiaomi's flagship omnimodal model — 1.02T parameters, native text/image/video/audio, MIT-licensed, released September 22, 2026 — and it is the newer of the two.
1.02 trillion total parameters, 42B active per token (sparse MoE), MIT-licensed and self-hostable
MiMo-V2.6-Pro
MiniMax M3 is comparatively weak here — price doubles to $0.60/$2.40 above 512K tokens — not flat across 1M
Reported Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index score of 46
MiMo-V2.6-Pro
MiniMax M3 is comparatively weak here — miniMax's own reported 80.5 SWE-Bench Verified figure is vendor-stated, not independently verified
Open-weight 428B MoE (~23B active per token) with a 1M-token context
MiniMax M3
MiniMax's open-weight 428B multimodal model with a 1M context — strong reported coding (59.0 SWE-Bench Pro) at low entry pricing — and it runs cheaper at $0.23/$0.96 per 1M tokens.
Native multimodal input — text, image and video
MiniMax M3
MiniMax M3 lists native multimodal input — text, image and video among its strengths; MiMo-V2.6-Pro does not.
Reports 59.0 on SWE-Bench Pro (a strong open-weight score), surpassing GPT-5.5
MiniMax M3
MiMo-V2.6-Pro is comparatively weak here — first-generation omnimodal release from Xiaomi's MiMo line — benchmark claims are largely Xiaomi's own reporting, not yet widely independently verified
Lowest cost at scale
MiniMax M3
At $0.23/$0.96 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
→ MiniMax M3
At $0.23/$0.96 per 1M tokens it undercuts MiMo-V2.6-Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Anyone whose priority is natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters
→ MiMo-V2.6-Pro
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is open-weight 428b moe (~23b active per token) with a 1m-token context
→ MiniMax M3
That is its strongest area.
MiMo-V2.6-Pro: where it fits
Xiaomi's flagship omnimodal model — 1.02T parameters, native text/image/video/audio, MIT-licensed, released September 22, 2026. Released September 22, 2026 by Xiaomi, it is built for natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters, 1.02 trillion total parameters, 42B active per token (sparse MoE), MIT-licensed and self-hostable, reported Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index score of 46, and a separate 'UltraSpeed' variant reportedly delivers up to 20x faster output than Pro at similar quality for high-throughput use cases.
Its trade-offs are real: first-generation omnimodal release from Xiaomi's MiMo line — benchmark claims are largely Xiaomi's own reporting, not yet widely independently verified, an Artificial Analysis Index score of 46 trails several established frontier models, and no official API pricing from Xiaomi directly — the listed price reflects third-party inference providers (e.g. OpenRouter), which can change independently of Xiaomi's own terms. At $0.435 in / $0.87 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
MiniMax M3: where it fits
MiniMax's open-weight 428B multimodal model with a 1M context — strong reported coding (59.0 SWE-Bench Pro) at low entry pricing. Released May 31, 2026 by MiniMax, it is built for open-weight 428B MoE (~23B active per token) with a 1M-token context, native multimodal input — text, image and video, reports 59.0 on SWE-Bench Pro (a strong open-weight score), surpassing GPT-5.5, and low entry pricing at $0.30/$1.20 per million up to 512K tokens.
Its trade-offs: price doubles to $0.60/$2.40 above 512K tokens — not flat across 1M, miniMax's own reported 80.5 SWE-Bench Verified figure is vendor-stated, not independently verified, sWE-Bench Pro is a different, harder benchmark than SWE-Bench Verified, and newer than M2.7 but with less independent testing so far. At $0.23 in / $0.96 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
MiMo-V2.6-Pro and MiniMax M3 overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. MiniMax M3 costs less per token; and each leads in its own area — MiMo-V2.6-Pro for natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters, MiniMax M3 for open-weight 428b moe (~23b active per token) with a 1m-token context. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both MiMo-V2.6-Pro and MiniMax M3 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 pricingFrequently asked questions
Is MiMo-V2.6-Pro or MiniMax M3 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, MiMo-V2.6-Pro leans toward natively omnimodal — text, image, video and audio in one model family, not bolted-on modality adapters while MiniMax M3 leans toward open-weight 428b moe (~23b active per token) with a 1m-token context, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, MiMo-V2.6-Pro or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper — $0.435/$0.87 per 1M tokens vs $0.23/$0.96 per 1M tokens, roughly 1.9× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 1M tokens (~1,573 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both MiMo-V2.6-Pro and MiniMax M3 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you MiMo-V2.6-Pro, MiniMax M3 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, MiMo-V2.6-Pro or MiniMax M3?
MiMo-V2.6-Pro — released September 22, 2026, about 4 months after MiniMax M3.
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.