Kimi K3 vs Qwen3.8 27B
API pricing, context window and capabilities for Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B, side by side. Prices are the cheapest listed serving route per 1M tokens, from LiteLLM and OpenRouter.
Verdict
computed from the published numbersKimi K3 wins on Terminal-Bench, on intelligence and on context window. Qwen3.8 27B wins on price.
Price
Qwen3.8 27B
Terminal-Bench
Kimi K3
Intelligence
Kimi K3
Context window
Kimi K3
Key takeaways
who wins on what, from the published numbersKimi K3 wins
- Larger context window (1M vs 262K)
- Higher max output (1M vs 33K)
- More serving providers (14 vs 7)
Qwen3.8 27B wins
- Cheaper input ($0.70 vs $0.04 /1M)
- Cheaper output ($12.50 vs $1.49 /1M)
Cheaper overall
Qwen3.8 27B
$0.04 + $1.49 /1M
Larger context
Kimi K3
1M
More providers
Kimi K3
14 providers
Pricing & specs
cheapest listed route · per 1M tokensOn-demand listed rates, OpenRouter routed quotes and Vercel reseller quotes. Enterprise commitments can be materially lower. An OpenRouter routed quote is the price of whichever upstream provider OpenRouter prefers today, so it moves day to day.
| Kimi K3 | Qwen3.8 27B | |
|---|---|---|
| Input $/1M | $0.70OpenRouter routed quote | $0.04OpenRouter routed quote best |
| Output $/1M | $12.50via Sail | $1.49via Cerebras best |
| Context window | 1M best | 262K |
| Max output | 1M best | 33K |
| Serving providers | 14 best | 7 |
| Date | Released Jul 16, 2026 | Released Aug 14, 2026 |
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores, side by side| Kimi K3 | Qwen3.8 27B | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 43.6 best | 33.7 |
| Terminal-Bench | 85% best | 80% |
| GPQA Diamond | 94% best | 91% |
| Output speed | 45 t/s | 45 t/s |
| Latency (TTFT) | 3.17s best | 3.83s |
Cost calculator
choose a serving route for each sideInput tokens / month
Output tokens / month
Kimi K3
via OpenRouter
$19
Qwen3.8 27B
via OpenRouter
$2.50
Capabilities
feature support, side by side| Feature | Kimi K3 | Qwen3.8 27B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tool use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reasoning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio | — | — |
| Prompt caching | ✓ | ✓ |
| Structured output | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web search | — | — |
Related comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, Kimi K3 or Qwen3.8 27B?
Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper for input ($0.70 vs $0.04 per 1M tokens) as an OpenRouter routed quote. Qwen3.8 27B is cheaper for output ($12.50 vs $1.49 per 1M tokens) from Cerebras.
What is the context window difference between Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B?
Kimi K3 has a 1M-token context window and Qwen3.8 27B has 262K tokens, so Kimi K3 can take a larger prompt.
How do Kimi K3 and Qwen3.8 27B compare on benchmarks?
On the tracked benchmarks, Kimi K3 leads on Terminal-Bench, and Kimi K3 leads on intelligence.
Listed prices from LiteLLM, OpenRouter and Vercel · last checked Oct 14, 2026
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