Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3 at a glance

Kimi K3 from Moonshot AI and MiniMax M3 from MiniMax are both in the Text Generation category, available through the EmpirioLabs API.

Key differences

• Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); MiniMax M3 was released on Jun 1, 2026.
• Both models have a context window of 1M tokens.
• MiniMax M3 returns up to 524,288 output tokens per response, Kimi K3 up to 131,072.
• Capabilities listed only for Kimi K3: multimodal, agentic coding.
• Capabilities listed only for MiniMax M3: vision, video, cache, long context.
• MiniMax M3 lists the lower rate for Web search (per call when invoked).

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: specs

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: API pricing

Live rates from the EmpirioLabs catalog for both models. Each rate card always matches what the API charges.

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: API parameters

Request parameters each model lists on EmpirioLabs, with the allowed values or range where one applies. A dash marks a parameter the model does not list.

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: limits and notes

Kimi K3

Supports text, image, and video inputs with a 1M token context, function calling, JSON schema structured output, and built-in web search at $0.015 per invoked call. Thinking is always on; reasoning depth is tunable with the reasoning_effort control (max is recommended) and reasoning tokens are billed as output tokens. Temperature and other sampling settings are fixed by the model service. Multi-step function calling through the API must replay the assistant message with its reasoning_content field intact.

MiniMax M3

Text, image, and video input with text output. Thinking defaults to adaptive and can be disabled. Pricing is based on input tokens including cache hits: <=512K uses the discounted standard tier, while >512K uses the high-context tier. Supports up to 1M input tokens. Set tool_web_search to true to let the model search the web; each executed search is billed, and one request can run several searches. Answers that used web search end with a Sources list unless disable_formatting is true. Structured output through response_format is not supported; ask for JSON in the prompt instead.

How to call Kimi K3 and MiniMax M3

Kimi K3 serves the OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions API. Point any OpenAI SDK at https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1 with your EmpirioLabs API key and use the model id kimi-k3. Both models are called through the same endpoint. Set model to kimi-k3 or minimax-m3. Get an API key from the EmpirioLabs dashboard.

curl https://api.empiriolabs.ai/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $EMPIRIOLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "kimi-k3",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Write a haiku about the ocean."}
    ]
  }'

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: tests and guides

Prompt tests and comparison runs that cover both models.

Guides Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 vs MiniMax M3 vs MiMo V2.6 Pro: three coding tests We gave Kimi K3, DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813, MiniMax M3 and MiMo V2.6 Pro the same three coding prompts at their highest...

Kimi K3 vs MiniMax M3: common questions

What is the difference between Kimi K3 and MiniMax M3?

Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); MiniMax M3 was released on Jun 1, 2026. Both models have a context window of 1M tokens. MiniMax M3 returns up to 524,288 output tokens per response, Kimi K3 up to 131,072. The specs, rate cards, and parameters on this page come from the live EmpirioLabs catalog.

Which is newer, Kimi K3 or MiniMax M3?

Kimi K3 is the newer release (Jul 15, 2026); MiniMax M3 was released on Jun 1, 2026.

Which has the lower rate, Kimi K3 or MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 lists the lower rate for Web search (per call when invoked). Both live rate cards are on this page and always match what the API charges.

Can I switch between Kimi K3 and MiniMax M3 without rebuilding my integration?

Yes. Both models use POST /v1/chat/completions with the same EmpirioLabs API key, so most integrations switch by changing the model value. Check the parameters table on this page first if you rely on a model-specific parameter.

Can I try Kimi K3 and MiniMax M3 in the browser before integrating?

Yes. Open each model in the EmpirioLabs playground and run the same prompt on both, with the parameters the API exposes.