MiniMax M2.5 vs MiniMax M3
At a Glance
| Compare |  MiniMax M2.5MiniMax | MiniMax M3MiniMax |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v4.4 | UnrankedNot in the 57-model eligible cohort | #32 of 5733.9 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 22.6–55.9 |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | UnrankedNot in the 27-model eligible cohort | #3 of 27$0.017 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.9 | UnrankedNot in the 27-model eligible cohort | #15 of 2749.0 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 43.4–60.0 |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.27Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 | $0.28Deepinfra ↗ · Oct 19, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $1.08Openrouter ↗ · Aug 28, 2026 | $1.10Deepinfra ↗ · Oct 19, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 197K | 1,049K |
| Model facts checked | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 28, 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
| Benchmark | MiniMax-M2.5 | MiniMax-M3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-10-15-a64ca3b12b6e · arena_rating · leader | 1,359.1295% of row best · rating · minimax-m2.5; 95% CI [1355.25588729, 1362.99197980]; votes 42815; rank 198 | 1,433.33100% of row best · rating · minimax-m3; 95% CI [1429.51159020, 1437.14164071]; votes 63973; rank 91 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above | 0 benchmark winsNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo 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
| Field | MiniMax-M2.5 | MiniMax-M3 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | MiniMax | MiniMax |
| Family | Minimax M2 5 | Minimax M3 |
| Model | MiniMax-M2.5 | MiniMax-M3 |
| Version | MiniMax-M2.5 | MiniMax-M3 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-02-12 | 2026-06-01 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 197K | 1,049K |
| Total parameters | 228.7B | 427B |
| Active parameters | Unknown | 23B |
| License | other | other |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Provider access | Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard) | Deepinfra (Standard), Fireworks Ai (Standard), Hugging Face (Standard), Openrouter (Standard), Together Ai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, tools |
MiniMax M2.5 Capabilities
MiniMax M3 Capabilities
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|---|---|---|---|
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MiniMax-M2.5MiniMax | vs |  Hy3Tencent | cross-developer peerstext |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
MiniMax M2.5 vs MiniMax M3 FAQs
Is MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both MiniMax M2.5 and MiniMax M3, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
MiniMax M2.5 is $0.27 and MiniMax M3 is $0.28 per million tokens, so MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper on this metric. MiniMax M2.5 is $1.08 and MiniMax M3 is $1.10 per million tokens, so MiniMax M2.5 is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
MiniMax M3 has the larger sourced context window. MiniMax M2.5 supports 196,608 tokens and MiniMax M3 supports 1,048,576 tokens.
Which performs better in benchmarks, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3 be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same sourced self-hosting status: supported. MiniMax M2.5 is open weight; MiniMax M3 is open weight.
Can MiniMax M2.5 and MiniMax M3 understand images?+
MiniMax M2.5 is not documented with image input; MiniMax M3 is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
Neither model has a sourced maximum output in this comparison, so a larger limit cannot be determined.
Do MiniMax M2.5 and MiniMax M3 support reasoning and tool use?+
MiniMax M2.5: tool calling. MiniMax M3: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
MiniMax M2.5 has 2 sourced provider routes; MiniMax M3 has 5, so MiniMax M3 has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, MiniMax M2.5 or MiniMax M3?+
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.