Comparison · 2026-06-29
Kimi K2 Thinking vs Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest)
Side-by-side comparison of pricing, context window and capabilities for Kimi K2 Thinking (Moonshot AI) and Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest) (Anthropic). Focus: agents.
| Kimi K2 Thinking | Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest) | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Moonshot AI | Anthropic |
| Input price / 1M tokens | $0.600 | $3.00 |
| Output price / 1M tokens | $2.50 | $15.00 |
| Total per 1M (in + out) | $3.10 | $18.00 |
| Context window | 262K | 200K |
| Max output tokens | 262K | 64K |
| Tool calling | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Structured output | Unknown | Unknown |
| Reasoning | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Vision input | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Open weights | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| Provider availability | 24 providers | 21 providers |
| Release date | 2025-11-06 | 2025-09-29 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2025-07-31 |
Quick takeaway
- Kimi K2 Thinking is 5.8× cheaper per 1M tokens (input + output combined).
- Kimi K2 Thinking has a larger context window (262K vs 200K).
- Kimi K2 Thinking is the open-weight option (self-hostable).
- Kimi K2 Thinking is more widely available across providers (24 vs 21).
How to read this comparison
This page compares Kimi K2 Thinking and Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest) on the dimensions that matter most for production LLM selection: per-token cost, context window, declared capabilities (tool calling, structured output, reasoning, vision), and provider availability.
Green highlights in the table indicate which model leads on a given row. "Leads" means lower price or higher context/capability — not necessarily "better for your use case". A model that costs 3× more may still be the right choice if it unlocks a capability you need.
What this comparison does NOT tell you
- Quality / accuracy — we have no benchmark data. Declared capabilities ≠ measured performance.
- Latency — time-to-first-token varies by provider, region and load. Test with your actual traffic.
- Prompt caching savings — if you reuse system prompts, the cheaper model on headline rate may not be cheapest in practice.
- Fine-tuning availability — not all models can be fine-tuned, even if they are open-weight.
Data is refreshed daily. If a model's capabilities or pricing change, this page updates automatically on the next build cycle.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kimi K2 Thinking cheaper than Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest)?
Kimi K2 Thinking costs $0.600/1M tokens input + $2.50/1M tokens output, while Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest) costs $3.00/1M tokens input + $15.00/1M tokens output. Kimi K2 Thinking is cheaper per combined 1M tokens.
Which model has a longer context window, Kimi K2 Thinking or Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest)?
Kimi K2 Thinking supports a longer context window — 262,144 tokens vs 200,000 tokens.
Where can I run Kimi K2 Thinking and Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest)?
Kimi K2 Thinking is available on 24 providers; Claude Sonnet 4.5 (latest) is available on 21 providers. See each model's detail page for the full provider list.
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Last updated:
Prices in USD per 1M tokens. Unknown means the provider does not publish per-token pricing.
Pricing and capabilities are refreshed daily and reconciled against each provider's official documentation. Always verify critical production decisions with the provider directly.