GPT-4.1 vs Kimi K2 Thinking
Benchmarks, API pricing and specs, head to head. Data updated 2026-06-10.
OpenAI · Apr 2025
A non-reasoning workhorse with a 1M-token context window, still popular for predictable-latency production APIs.
Moonshot AI · Nov 2025
A trillion-parameter open reasoning agent that can chain 200–300 tool calls — the open-weights agentic standout of late 2025.
The verdict
Kimi K2 Thinking wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for GPT-4.1. On price the gap is dramatic: Kimi K2 Thinking works out roughly 3.3x cheaper per blended million tokens. GPT-4.1 also takes 1M of context versus 262K for Kimi K2 Thinking. And Kimi K2 Thinking is open-weights (Modified MIT), so it can be self-hosted — a structural advantage if data control or vendor independence matters.
Benchmark head-to-head 0–2
Specs & pricing
| GPT-4.1 | Kimi K2 Thinking | |
|---|---|---|
| modhub Index | — | 67.6 |
| Input price / 1M | $2 | $0.6 |
| Output price / 1M | $8 | $2.5 |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Max output | 33K | — |
| Open weights | no | yes (Modified MIT) |
| Reasoning model | no | yes |
| Multimodal input | text, image | text |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jun 2024 | Apr 2025 |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Nov 2025 |
| Example monthly cost* | $32.00 | $9.75 |
* 10M input + 1.5M output tokens per month at list prices, no caching. Green = better value on that row.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, GPT-4.1 or Kimi K2 Thinking?
- Kimi K2 Thinking wins 2 of the 2 benchmarks these models share, against 0 for GPT-4.1. On price the gap is dramatic: Kimi K2 Thinking works out roughly 3.3x cheaper per blended million tokens. GPT-4.1 also takes 1M of context versus 262K for Kimi K2 Thinking. And Kimi K2 Thinking is open-weights (Modified MIT), so it can be self-hosted — a structural advantage if data control or vendor independence matters.
- Which is cheaper, GPT-4.1 or Kimi K2 Thinking?
- GPT-4.1 costs $2/$8 per million input/output tokens, while Kimi K2 Thinking costs $0.6/$2.5. For a typical workload of 10M input and 1.5M output tokens per month, that's $32.00 versus $9.75.
- Which model is better for coding, GPT-4.1 or Kimi K2 Thinking?
- On SWE-bench Verified — the standard agentic-coding benchmark — Kimi K2 Thinking scores 71.3% versus 54.6% for GPT-4.1, making Kimi K2 Thinking the stronger pick for coding agents.