Kimi K2.5 vs Qwen 3.5 397B
Complete pricing and performance comparison between Moonshot's Kimi K2.5 and Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 397B.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Kimi K2.5
1.0x cheaper input, 1.2x cheaper output
Larger Context
Kimi K2.5
128K vs 128K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Kimi K2.5 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Moonshot | Alibaba | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.6 | $0.6 | Same |
| Output / 1M tokens | $3 | $3.6 | Kimi K2.5 is 17% more expensive |
| Context Window | 128K | 128K | Same |
| Max Output | 33K | 33K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Kimi K2.5 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 47 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 46 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 78.0 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Kimi K2.5 | Qwen 3.5 397B | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0015 | $0.0017 | Same |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.015 | $0.017 | Kimi K2.5 saves $0.0018 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.150 | $0.168 | Kimi K2.5 saves $0.018 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $1.50 | $1.68 | Kimi K2.5 saves $0.180 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $15.00 | $16.80 | Kimi K2.5 saves $1.80 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $1500.00 | $1680.00 | Kimi K2.5 saves $180.00 |
Pros & Cons
Kimi K2.5 Strengths
- +Cheaper output tokens
Qwen 3.5 397B Strengths
Part of the Alibaba ecosystem
When to Use Each Model
Choose Kimi K2.5 for
- →Projects already integrated with Moonshot's ecosystem
Choose Qwen 3.5 397B for
- →Projects already integrated with Alibaba's ecosystem
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Kimi K2.5 or Qwen 3.5 397B?
For input tokens, Kimi K2.5 is 1.0x cheaper at $0.6/1M tokens. For output tokens, Kimi K2.5 is 1.2x cheaper at $3/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Kimi K2.5 costs $1.50 vs Qwen 3.5 397B at $1.68.
What's the context window difference?
Kimi K2.5 supports 128K context (128,000 tokens), while Qwen 3.5 397B supports 128K (128,000 tokens). Qwen 3.5 397B can handle 1x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Kimi K2.5 over Qwen 3.5 397B?
Choose Kimi K2.5 when you need: Cheaper output tokens. Choose Qwen 3.5 397B when you need: a Alibaba ecosystem model.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Kimi K2.5 = $15.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $16.80. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Kimi K2.5 = $90.00, Qwen 3.5 397B = $96.00.