Kimi K2 Thinking vs GPT-5.1

At a Glance

Compare
Kimi K2 ThinkingMoonshot AI
GPT-5.1OpenAI
Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency
IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort#37 of 4625.7 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing LiveBench · full-core range 17.1–50.5
Pricing and Limits
Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens$0.60Openrouter · Sep 23, 2026$1.25Openai · Sep 3, 2026
Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens$2.50Openrouter · Sep 23, 2026$10.00Openai · Sep 3, 2026
Context windowMaximum documented tokens262K400K
Model facts checkedAug 28, 2026View model evidence →Sep 3, 2026View model evidence →

Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →

Available Benchmarks

All benchmark results →
BenchmarkKimi-K2-ThinkingGPT-5.1
ToneBench2026-09-11-10-task-4ef099199c9c · overall_score · unverified78.55100% of row best · points · Kimi K2 Thinking · 7,821 output tokens / case75.9897% of row best · points · GPT-5.1 · 3,970 output tokens / case
Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above0 benchmark winsNo overall winner0 benchmark winsNo overall winner

Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.

Side-by-Side Facts

FieldKimi-K2-ThinkingGPT-5.1
DeveloperMoonshot AIOpenAI
FamilyKimi K2 ThinkingGpt 5 1
ModelKimi-K2-ThinkingGPT-5.1
VersionKimi-K2-ThinkingGPT-5.1
Lifecycleactiveactive
Released2025-11-062025-11-13
Knowledge cutoffUnknown2024-09-30
Input modalitiesTextText, Image
Output modalitiesTextText
Context window262K400K
Total parameters1TUnknown
Active parameters32BUnknown
LicenseotherUnknown
Open weightsYesNo
API availableYesYes
Self-hostableYesNo
Provider accessHugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard)Openai (Standard), Openrouter (Standard)
Capabilitieschat, generation, reasoning, toolschat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools

Kimi K2 Thinking Capabilities

chatgenerationreasoningtools
Serving providers2
Canonical IDmoonshotai/Kimi-K2-Thinking

GPT-5.1 Capabilities

chatgenerationreasoningstructured outputstools
Serving providers2
Canonical IDopenai/gpt-5.1

Primary Evidence

Sources and Freshness

Questions

Kimi K2 Thinking vs GPT-5.1 FAQs

Is Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1 better for coding?+

This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Kimi K2 Thinking and GPT-5.1, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.

Which is cheaper, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

Kimi K2 Thinking is $0.60 and GPT-5.1 is $1.25 per million tokens, so Kimi K2 Thinking is cheaper on this metric. Kimi K2 Thinking is $2.50 and GPT-5.1 is $10.00 per million tokens, so Kimi K2 Thinking is cheaper on this metric.

Which has a larger context window, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

GPT-5.1 has the larger sourced context window. Kimi K2 Thinking supports 262K and GPT-5.1 supports 400K.

Which performs better in benchmarks, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.

Can Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1 be self-hosted?+

Kimi K2 Thinking is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. Kimi K2 Thinking is open weight; GPT-5.1 is not marked open weight.

Can Kimi K2 Thinking and GPT-5.1 understand images?+

Kimi K2 Thinking is not documented with image input; GPT-5.1 is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.

Which can generate longer answers, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

Kimi K2 Thinking has the larger sourced maximum output: Kimi K2 Thinking supports 131K and GPT-5.1 supports 128K output tokens.

Do Kimi K2 Thinking and GPT-5.1 support reasoning and tool use?+

Kimi K2 Thinking: reasoning and tool calling. GPT-5.1: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.

Which is available from more inference providers, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

Kimi K2 Thinking has 2 sourced provider routes; GPT-5.1 has 2, a tie.

Which offers better value, Kimi K2 Thinking or GPT-5.1?+

There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.

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