Kimi K3 API Pricing and Cost Estimates
Moonshot Kimi K3 API pricing is $3 per 1M input tokens and $15 per 1M output tokens. Cached input is billed at $0.3 per 1M tokens. The context window is 1.05M tokens. No batch tier is offered. Prices verified 2026-09-04 against the official pricing page.
Input / 1M tokens
$3
Output / 1M tokens
$15
Cached input / 1M
$0.3
Context window
1.05M
Monthly cost at three workloads
| Workload | Tokens / month | Standard | 50% cache hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (prototype / side project) | 5M in + 1M out | $30.00 | $23.25 |
| Medium (small production app) | 50M in + 10M out | $300 | $233 |
| Heavy (production at scale) | 500M in + 100M out | $3000 | $2325 |
Note: Always-on reasoning; output includes thinking tokens.
Closest-priced alternatives
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Medium workload / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moonshot Kimi K3 | $3 | $15 | $300 |
| OpenAI GPT-5.6 terra | $2 | $12 | $220 |
| Google Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | $2 | $12 | $220 |
| Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 | $2 | $10 | $200 |
| OpenAI GPT-5.6 sol | $4 | $20 | $400 |
Medium workload = 50M input + 10M output tokens per month at standard price, no caching. Prices verified 2026-09-04.
Kimi K3 vs the rest of the Moonshot lineup
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Cached / 1M | Context | Medium workload / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi K3 | $3 | $15 | $0.3 | 1.05M | $300 |
| Kimi K2.7 Code | $0.95 | $4 | $0.19 | 262K | $87.50 |
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LLM API Pricing Calculator
Compare current API prices for Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, Grok and other LLMs, and estimate your monthly bill from token volume. Includes prompt-caching prices and batch discounts that most comparison tables miss. Pick your current model to see exactly how much migrating to each alternative saves. Prices last verified 2026-09-04. Runs entirely in your browser — no upload, no signup.
Share of input tokens served from prompt cache
Adds a column showing what switching to each model saves (or costs) per month at this usage.
| Model | Input $/M | Output $/M | Cached $/M | Context | Est. monthly | vs current |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GPT-5.6 luna OpenAI | $0.2 | $1.2 | $0.02 | 1.05M | $22.00 | −$278 (−93%) |
Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite | $0.25 | $1.5 | $0.025 | 1M | $27.50 | −$273 (−91%) |
DeepSeek V4 Flash DeepSeek · open-weight | $0.435 | $1.3 | $0.0145 | 1M | $34.75 | −$265 (−88%) |
Gemini 3.6 Flash | $0.75 | $3.75 | $0.075 | 1M | $75.00 | −$225 (−75%) |
GLM-5 Zhipu (z.ai) · open-weight | $1 | $3.2 | $0.2 | 200K | $82.00 | −$218 (−73%) |
Grok 4.20 xAI | $1.25 | $2.5 | $0.2 | 1M | $87.50 | −$213 (−71%) |
Kimi K2.7 Code Moonshot · open-weight | $0.95 | $4 | $0.19 | 262K | $87.50 | −$213 (−71%) |
Claude Haiku 4.5 Anthropic | $1 | $5 | $0.1 | 200K | $100 | −$200 (−67%) |
DeepSeek V4 Pro DeepSeek · open-weight | $1.3 | $3.91 | $0.043 | 1M | $104 | −$196 (−65%) |
GLM-5.2 Zhipu (z.ai) · open-weight | $1.4 | $4.4 | $0.26 | 200K | $114 | −$186 (−62%) |
Grok 4.6 xAI | $2 | $6 | $0.5 | 500K | $160 | −$140 (−47%) |
Grok 4.5 xAI | $2 | $6 | $0.3 | 500K | $160 | −$140 (−47%) |
Claude Sonnet 5 Anthropic | $2 | $10 | $0.2 | 1M | $200 | −$100 (−33%) |
GPT-5.6 terra OpenAI | $2 | $12 | $0.2 | 1.05M | $220 | −$80.00 (−27%) |
Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview | $2 | $12 | $0.2 | 1M | $220 | −$80.00 (−27%) |
Kimi K3current Moonshot · open-weight | $3 | $15 | $0.3 | 1.048576M | $300 | — |
GPT-5.6 sol OpenAI | $4 | $20 | $0.4 | 1.05M | $400 | +$100 (+33%) |
Claude Opus 5 Anthropic | $5 | $25 | $0.5 | 1M | $500 | +$200 (+67%) |
Claude Fable 5.1 Anthropic | $10 | $50 | $0.25 | 1M | $1000 | +$700 (+233%) |
Claude Fable 5 Anthropic | $10 | $50 | $1 | 1M | $1000 | +$700 (+233%) |
Prices are per 1 million tokens in USD, standard (non-batch) tier, verified 2026-09-04. Claude Fable 5.1: Released Sep 1, 2026. Anthropic's Mythos-class flagship tier above Opus 5 — same $10/$50 base rate as Fable 5, but cache reads drop to 2.5% of the input price ($0.25/MTok vs the 10% every other Claude model charges). Shares its underlying model with Claude Mythos 5.1, offered only to approved organizations. Claude Fable 5: Superseded by Claude Fable 5.1 (Sep 1, 2026), which keeps the same base rate but cuts cache reads to $0.25/MTok. Fable 5 remains available as a pinned snapshot with cache reads at the standard 10% ($1.00/MTok). Shares its underlying model with Claude Mythos 5. Claude Sonnet 5: The $2 / $10 launch price is now permanent; the planned Sep 2026 increase to $3 / $15 was cancelled. GPT-5.6 sol: Promotional price, available at least through Nov 21, 2026 (previously $5 / $30). Requests beyond the long-context threshold bill at 2× input / 1.5× output. GPT-5.6 terra: Requests beyond the long-context threshold bill at 2× input / 1.5× output. GPT-5.6 luna: Requests beyond the long-context threshold bill at 2× input / 1.5× output. Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview: Prompts over 200K tokens bill at $4 / $18. Gemini 3.6 Flash: Intro price through Dec 31, 2026; $1.50 / $7.50 from Jan 1, 2027. Grok 4.6: Requests over 200K tokens bill at 2×. Grok 4.5: Requests over 200K tokens bill at 2×. Kimi K3: Always-on reasoning; output includes thinking tokens. DeepSeek V4 Pro: Peak-hour price (Beijing weekdays 09:00–12:00, 14:00–18:00) effective Aug 17, 2026; all other hours bill at 50% of peak. DeepSeek V4 Flash: Peak-hour price (Beijing weekdays 09:00–12:00, 14:00–18:00) effective Aug 17, 2026; all other hours bill at 50% of peak.
Batch discount is applied only to models whose provider offers an async batch tier. Cached-input pricing models the read price; cache-write surcharges (Anthropic) are not included. Long-context surcharges apply above provider thresholds and are noted per model.
FAQ
How much does the Kimi K3 API cost?
$3 per 1M input tokens and $15 per 1M output tokens, with cached input at $0.3 per 1M. Note: Always-on reasoning; output includes thinking tokens. (Verified 2026-09-04.)
What does a month of Kimi K3 cost in practice?
A medium workload of 50M input + 10M output tokens per month runs about $300/mo, or about $233/mo if half the input hits the prompt cache.
How does prompt caching change Kimi K3 pricing?
Input tokens served from the prompt cache bill at $0.3 per 1M — about 10% of the standard input price. Repeated prefixes like system prompts and few-shot examples benefit most.
Is Kimi K3 cheaper than GPT-5.6 terra?
At the same medium workload, Kimi K3 costs about $300/mo versus about $220/mo for OpenAI GPT-5.6 terra. Also weigh quality, latency, and context window (1.05M vs 1.05M tokens).
How does Kimi K3 pricing compare with other Moonshot models?
By input price: Kimi K2.7 Code is $0.95/$4 per 1M tokens in/out (about 32% of Kimi K3's input price). See the full-lineup table above.