Kimi K2 Instruct vs Kimi K2 Instruct 0905
Too close to call on our weighted score (Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 38, Kimi K2 Instruct 36). The right pick depends on what you value most.
Moonshot AIKimi K2 Instruct
36/100- ECI139.9
- Price$0.57 / $2.30
- Context131K
- Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Instruct 0905
38/100- ECI—
- Price$0.60 / $2.50
- Context262K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 38/100, Kimi K2 Instruct 36/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Kimi K2 Instruct on price and Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceKimi K2 InstructKimi K2 Instruct $1.00 · Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 $1.07 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextKimi K2 Instruct 0905Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 262,144 · Kimi K2 Instruct 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsKimi K2 Instruct: Text · Kimi K2 Instruct 0905: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Kimi K2 Instruct | Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 48 | 46 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 25 | 25 |
| Context window | 20% | 25 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 36/100 | 38/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Kimi K2 InstructMoonshot AI | Kimi K2 Instruct 0905Moonshot AI |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 139.9 | — |
| ECI rank | #112 of 165 | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.57 (best) | $0.60 |
| Output | $2.30 (best) | $2.50 |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.00 (best) | $1.07 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 11 providers | Median of 12 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 262,144 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 98,304 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | OpenModified MIT | OpenModified MIT |
| API model ID | — | — |
| API providers | 11 | 13 (best) |
| Released | Jul 11, 2025 | Sep 5, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Kimi K2 Instruct$10.30
- Kimi K2 Instruct 0905$11.00
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Kimi K2 Instruct or Kimi K2 Instruct 0905?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 38/100, Kimi K2 Instruct 36/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Kimi K2 Instruct on price and Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 for long inputs. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Kimi K2 Instruct or Kimi K2 Instruct 0905?
Kimi K2 Instruct is cheaper at $0.57 input / $2.30 output per million tokens (median across 11 API providers). Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 costs $0.60 input / $2.50 output per million tokens (median across 12 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $1.00 per million tokens for Kimi K2 Instruct versus $1.07 for Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 (1.1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Kimi K2 Instruct has an ECI of 139.9 and Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Kimi K2 Instruct and Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 131,072 for Kimi K2 Instruct. Maximum output per response: Kimi K2 Instruct up to 32,768, Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 up to 98,304 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Kimi K2 Instruct accepts text; Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (Modified MIT), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Kimi K2 Instruct 0905 is the newest, released Sep 5, 2025. Kimi K2 Instruct came out Jul 11, 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.
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