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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Kimi K2 Thinking

Qwen3 Coder Next comes out ahead, 51 to 42 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3 Coder Next

    Released Feb 3, 2026

    51/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.20 / $1.20
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Qwen3 Coder Next

  2. Moonshot AI

    Kimi K2 Thinking

    Released Nov 6, 2025

    42/100
    • ECI146.0
    • Price$0.60 / $2.50
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Kimi K2 Thinking

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Qwen3 Coder Next is our pick

Qwen3 Coder Next is the better all-round choice, scoring 51/100 against Kimi K2 Thinking (42). It leads on price. 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 priceQwen3 Coder NextQwen3 Coder Next $0.45 · Kimi K2 Thinking $1.07 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameQwen3 Coder Next 262,144 · Kimi K2 Thinking 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsQwen3 Coder Next: Text · Kimi K2 Thinking: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightQwen3 Coder NextKimi K2 Thinking
Price50%6648
Inputs & features30%3535
Context window20%3737
Overall100%51/10042/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Kimi K2 Thinking specifications side by side
SpecificationQwen3 Coder NextAlibaba (Qwen)Kimi K2 ThinkingMoonshot AI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—146.0
ECI rank—#72 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—84.2%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—83.1%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.20 (best)$0.60
Output$1.20 (best)$2.50
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.45 (best)$1.07
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 11 providersMedian of 10 providers
Limits
Context window262,144 tokens262,144 tokens
Max output65,536 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model ID——
API providers11 (best)10
ReleasedFeb 3, 2026Nov 6, 2025
Knowledge cutoffSep 2025Aug 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Qwen3 Coder Next$4.40
  • Kimi K2 Thinking$11.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Qwen3 Coder Next or Kimi K2 Thinking?

Qwen3 Coder Next is the better all-round choice, scoring 51/100 against Kimi K2 Thinking (42). It leads on price. 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, Qwen3 Coder Next or Kimi K2 Thinking?

Qwen3 Coder Next is cheaper at $0.20 input / $1.20 output per million tokens (median across 11 API providers). Kimi K2 Thinking costs $0.60 input / $2.50 output per million tokens (median across 10 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.45 per million tokens for Qwen3 Coder Next versus $1.07 for Kimi K2 Thinking (2.4× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3 Coder Next has not been scored yet and Kimi K2 Thinking has an ECI of 146.0.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen3 Coder Next and Kimi K2 Thinking 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?

Qwen3 Coder Next and Kimi K2 Thinking share the same 262,144-token context window. Maximum output per response: Qwen3 Coder Next up to 65,536, Kimi K2 Thinking up to 262,144 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Qwen3 Coder Next accepts text; Kimi K2 Thinking accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Qwen3 Coder Next is the newest, released Feb 3, 2026. Kimi K2 Thinking came out Nov 6, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Qwen3 Coder Next Sep 2025, Kimi K2 Thinking Aug 2024.

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 Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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