Kimi K2.6 vs Kimi K3
Kimi K2.6 (Moonshot AI) vs Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI), compared on price, context, speed and Arabic support. Both run on thalam through one OpenAI-compatible API, so you can switch between them with a single model id change. At a glance, Kimi K2.6 is the cheaper option and Kimi K3 has the larger context window.
Specs side by side
| Spec | Kimi K2.6 | Kimi K3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Moonshot AI | Moonshot AI |
| Type | Text | Text |
| Context window | 256K | 1M |
| Max output | 256K | 400K |
| Input price | $0.95 / 1M | $3.00 / 1M |
| Output price | $4.00 / 1M | $15.00 / 1M |
| Speed | Medium | Medium |
| Arabic support | Partial | Partial |
Which should you choose?
- Lower cost, about 3.2× cheaper ($0.95 / 1M)
- Larger context window (1M) for long documents and codebases
One OpenAI-compatible endpoint, one bill. Switch between them with a single model id change, pay per use, credits never expire.
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FAQ
What's the difference between Kimi K2.6 and Kimi K3?
Kimi K2.6 costs less ($0.95 / 1M vs $3.00 / 1M); Kimi K3 has a larger context window (1M vs 256K). Both are available on thalam behind one OpenAI-compatible API.
Is Kimi K2.6 or Kimi K3 cheaper?
Kimi K2.6 is cheaper on input ($0.95 / 1M vs $3.00 / 1M). On thalam you pay per use, so you can route cheap-by-default and fall back to the other only when needed.
Can I use both Kimi K2.6 and Kimi K3 with one API key?
Yes. thalam is OpenAI-compatible, so both models are reachable through the same endpoint. Switching between them is a one-line model id change, no code rewrite.