Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Kimi K2 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,465 vs 1,310), while Kimi K2 leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (65.8%), while DeepSeek V3 is more budget-friendly at $1.1/1M per 1M output tokens, while Kimi K2 provides faster response streaming (85 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
8 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Prior DeepSeek flagship. Baseline for v3 vs v4.
Moonshot foundation model with strong native bilingual reasoning and 65.8% SWE-bench Verified coding baseline.
Δ 155 Arena Elo pts
85 tok/s
$1.1 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top Western standard models with China's leading frontier rival across 6 skill dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Kimi K2 | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +155 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +7.4% | ||
| SWE-bench | +17.2% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +17.4% | ||
| Time to first token | +140 ms | ||
| Output speed | 66 tok/s | 85 tok/s | +19 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.27/1M | $0.35/1M | +$0.08/1M |
| Output price | $1.1/1M | $1.4/1M | +$0.3/1M |
| Context window | — |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
DeepSeek V3 is estimated to save $7.30/month ($88/year).
Higher SWE-bench (65.8%).
Lower output list price ($1.1/1M).
Lower TTFT (240 ms).
Larger window (128k).
Kimi K2 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Kimi K2 | Higher SWE-bench (65.8%). |
| High-volume chat | DeepSeek V3 | Lower output list price ($1.1/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Kimi K2 | Lower TTFT (240 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | DeepSeek V3 | Larger window (128k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Kimi K2 | Kimi K2 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
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Verified Head-to-Head Telemetry
