Kimi K3 vs Qwen3 Max (Comparative Analysis)
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Overview
Qwen3 Max was released 9 months before Kimi K3.
 Kimi K3 |  Qwen3 Max | |
|---|---|---|
Model Provider The organization behind this AI's development | MoonshotAI | Qwen |
Input Context Window Maximum input tokens this model can process at once | 1M tokens | 262.1K tokens |
Output Token Limit Maximum output tokens this model can generate at once | Not specified tokens | 32.8K tokens |
Release Date When this model first became publicly available | July 16, 2026 11 days ago July 16th, 2026 | September 23, 2025 10 months ago September 23rd, 2025 |
Knowledge Cutoff Latest training-data date reported by the provider | Not reported | June 30, 2025 |
Capabilities & Features
Compare supported features, modalities, and advanced capabilities
Kimi K3 | Qwen3 Max | |
|---|---|---|
Input Types Supported input formats | 📝Text🖼️Image | 📝Text |
Reasoning Controls Defaults and configurable reasoning effort | Enabled by defaultEffort: Max, High, LowDefault: Max | Optional |
Output Types Supported output formats | 📝Text | 📝Text |
Tokenizer Text encoding system | Other | Qwen3 |
Key Features Advanced capabilities | ✓Function Calling✓Structured Output✓Reasoning ModeContent Moderation | ✓Function Calling✓Structured OutputReasoning ModeContent Moderation |
Pricing
Kimi K3 is roughly 3.8x more expensive compared to Qwen3 Max for input tokens and roughly 3.8x more expensive for output tokens.
| Kimi K3 | Qwen3 Max | |
|---|---|---|
Short Context Pricing Base rates before a long-context threshold applies | ||
Input Token Cost Cost per million input tokens | $3.00 per million tokens | $0.78 per million tokens |
Output Token Cost Cost per million output tokens | $15.00 per million tokens | $3.90 per million tokens |
Cache Read Cost Cost to reuse cached input tokens | $0.30 per million tokens | $0.16 per million tokens |
Cache Write Cost Cost to write input tokens to the cache | Not specified | $0.97 per million tokens |
Long Context Pricing Rates for prompts with 32,000 or more tokens | ||
Input Token Cost Long-context input cost per million tokens | Not specified | $1.56 per million tokens |
Output Token Cost Long-context output cost per million tokens | Not specified | $7.80 per million tokens |
Cache Read Cost Long-context cache read cost per million tokens | Not specified | $0.31 per million tokens |
Cache Write Cost Long-context cache write cost per million tokens | Not specified | $1.95 per million tokens |
Long Context Pricing Rates for prompts with 128,000 or more tokens | ||
Input Token Cost Long-context input cost per million tokens | Not specified | $1.95 per million tokens |
Output Token Cost Long-context output cost per million tokens | Not specified | $9.75 per million tokens |
Cache Read Cost Long-context cache read cost per million tokens | Not specified | $0.39 per million tokens |
Cache Write Cost Long-context cache write cost per million tokens | Not specified | $2.44 per million tokens |
Benchmarks
Compare relevant benchmarks between Kimi K3 and Qwen3 Max.
| Kimi K3 | Qwen3 Max | |
|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Overall model quality across independent evaluations | 57.1 (Artificial Analysis index; higher is better) | Benchmark not available. |
Coding Index Programming performance across independent evaluations | 76.2 (Artificial Analysis index; higher is better) | Benchmark not available. |
Agentic Index Ability to complete multi-step agentic tasks | 50.1 (Artificial Analysis index; higher is better) | Benchmark not available. |
Best Design Arena Score Highest human-preference Elo score across design arenas | 1,456 Elo (#1 in 3D (69.2% win rate)) | 1,166 Elo (#38 in Asciiart (47.2% win rate)) |
At a Glance
Quick overview of what makes Kimi K3 and Qwen3 Max unique.
Kimi K3 by MoonshotAI understands both text and images, can use external tools and APIs, offers advanced reasoning, generates structured data. It can handle standard conversations with its 1M token context window. Premium pricing at $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output tokens. Released July 16th, 2026.Qwen3 Max by Qwen can use external tools and APIs, generates structured data. It can handle standard conversations with its 262.1K token context window. Reasonably priced at $0.78/M input and $3.90/M output tokens. Released September 23rd, 2025.Explore More Comparisons
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Best models for coding and development
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Models optimized for creative writing
📢Marketing
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Technical analysis and explanations
🔬Science
Scientific research and analysis
🌐Translation
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