Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 1, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Qwen 3 Max delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,518 vs 1,515), while Kimi K2.5 Max leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (71.3%), while Kimi K2.5 Max is more budget-friendly at $2/1M per 1M output tokens, while Qwen 3 Max provides faster response streaming (80 tok/s). Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
10 direct benchmark disciplines evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Moonshot flagship reasoning model with high-fidelity coding, deep thinking, and tool use across a 200k context.
Alibaba flagship. Strong math and multilingual code.
Currently comparing Kimi K2.5 Max vs Qwen 3 Max. Alternative family tiers available.
Simulate accuracy gains vs added response time & token cost
Reasoning models “think before answering” by generating internal reasoning tokens. Higher effort improves math, coding, and logic accuracy, but increases response delay and token costs.
Δ 3 Arena Elo pts
80 tok/s
$2 / 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 | Kimi K2.5 Max | Qwen 3 Max | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +3 | ||
| Coding Elo | +6 | ||
| LiveBench | +2.2% | ||
| SWE-bench | +3.5% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +4.5% | ||
| Time to first token | +10 ms | ||
| Output speed | 72 tok/s | 80 tok/s | +8 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.5/1M | $1.2/1M | +$0.7/1M |
| Output price | $4.8/1M | +$2.8/1M | |
| Context window | +62k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Kimi K2.5 Max is estimated to save $66.50/month ($798/year).
Higher SWE-bench (71.3%).
Lower output list price ($2/1M).
Lower TTFT (270 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max).
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Kimi K2.5 Max | Higher SWE-bench (71.3%). |
| High-volume chat | Kimi K2.5 Max | Lower output list price ($2/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Kimi K2.5 Max | Lower TTFT (270 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Qwen 3 Max | Larger window (262k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Qwen 3 Max | Both accept images. Defaulting to the higher-Elo side (Qwen 3 Max). |
Closed flagship. Strong math. Compare to Sol and Opus on GPQA and SWE-bench, not on brand heat.
Sep 2025 open-weight mixture-of-experts. Self-host path. Don’t confuse it with Qwen 3 Max.
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