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Kimi K2 Thinking vs MiniMax M2.5

Token pricing, context window and real monthly cost, side by side. MiniMax M2.5 is the cheaper of the two for a typical workload — about 3.2× less.

cheaper for a typical workload
MiniMax M2.5
saves 69% vs Kimi K2 Thinking at 1,500 in / 500 out × 200,000/mo
Kimi K2 Thinking $430/mo
MiniMax M2.5 $135/mo
Kimi K2 Thinking versus MiniMax M2.5 specifications and price.
metric Kimi K2 Thinking MiniMax M2.5
Input / 1M $0.60 $0.15
Output / 1M $2.50 $0.90
Context 262K 205K
Cost @ typical workload $430/mo $135/mo
Modality Text only Text only
Price source routed routed
Provider Moonshot MiniMax

Snapshot . Cost uses a typical workload; tune it in the calculator. How we measure →

Which should you pick?

On a typical workload, MiniMax M2.5 costs $135/mo against Kimi K2 Thinking's $430/mo — roughly 3.2× cheaper. But the ranking depends on your output-to-input ratio: output is the pricier direction for both, so an output-heavy job (code generation, long answers) widens the gap while an input-heavy one (summarization, retrieval) narrows it. If you need to fit more in a single prompt, Kimi K2 Thinking has the larger 262K-token window (~393 pages).

These are list and routed market prices, not measured outcomes. Two models at the same rate can still cost different amounts to finish the same task, because verbose or reasoning-heavy models emit more tokens. That gap is exactly what measured cost-per-task captures.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kimi K2 Thinking or MiniMax M2.5 cheaper?

For a typical workload (1,500 input + 500 output tokens × 200,000 requests/month), MiniMax M2.5 costs $135/mo versus $430/mo for Kimi K2 Thinking — about 3.2× less. Because output is priced higher than input, the winner can flip if your workload writes much more or less than this; check your own numbers in the calculator.

What's the main difference between Kimi K2 Thinking and MiniMax M2.5?

On price, Kimi K2 Thinking is $0.60/$2.50 per 1M (in/out) and MiniMax M2.5 is $0.15/$0.90. Kimi K2 Thinking has the larger context window at 262K tokens.

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