Kimi K3 vs Kimi Linear
Moonshot AI Kimi K3 | Moonshot AI Kimi Linear | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Company | Moonshot AI | Moonshot AI |
| Release date | Jul 16 2026 | Oct 30 2025 |
| Access | Open Weight | Open Weight |
| Specifications | ||
Parameters | 2.8T | 48B |
Context window | 1M | — |
| Benchmarks | ||
Agentic coding DeepSWE 1.0Artificial Analysis' independent test of deep, agentic software-engineering work — the AI has to plan and carry out substantial coding tasks end to end. Higher is better. | 67.5% | — |
Agentic terminal coding Terminal-Bench 2.1Can the AI work in a command-line terminal — running commands and finishing technical setup tasks the way a developer would? Higher is better. | 88.3% | — |
Multi-step tool use MCP AtlasCan the AI chain together many tools and steps to complete one bigger task, rather than doing just a single thing? Higher is better. | 84.2% | — |
Professional tool use JobBenchTests the AI on professional workplace tasks that require using real work tools — the kind of multi-step jobs an office worker handles. Higher is better. | 52.9% | — |
Personal tool use Toolathlon-VerifiedTests how well the AI uses everyday personal tools and apps to get things done — a human-checked version of Toolathlon. Higher is better. | 73.2% | — |
Web browsing BrowseCompCan the AI browse the web and track down hard-to-find answers? Higher is better. | 91.2% | — |
Multidisciplinary reasoning Humanity's Last Exam · no toolsHumanity's Last Exam — extremely hard expert questions across many subjects, written so you can't just look up the answer. “No tools” means the AI answers on its own. Higher is better. | 43.5% | — |
Multidisciplinary reasoning Humanity's Last Exam · with toolsHumanity's Last Exam — extremely hard expert questions across many subjects. “With tools” means the AI is allowed to search the web or run code while answering. Higher is better. | 56% | — |
Science GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions in biology, physics, and chemistry — hard enough that subject-matter PhDs score around 65%. Higher is better. | 93.5% | — |
Knowledge work GDPval-AA v2economically valuable knowledge work (v2, re-based Elo) | 1668 | — |
Chart reasoning CharXiv ReasoningCan the AI read and reason about complex charts and figures, not just text? Higher is better. | 84.8% | — |
Multimodal reasoning MMMU-ProA tougher version of MMMU — college-level questions that mix images, diagrams, and text together. Higher is better. | 81.6% | — |
| Timeline | ||
| Release gap | Kimi Linear shipped 259 days before Kimi K3 | |
Which is better: Kimi K3 or Kimi Linear?
Kimi K3 and Kimi Linear don't publish scores on any of the same benchmarks, so there's no direct head-to-head comparison. Kimi Linear shipped 259 days before Kimi K3, so benchmark comparisons should account for the intervening progress.
Kimi K3 has 2.8T parameters, while Kimi Linear has 48B.
Direct benchmark comparisons are unavailable — Kimi K3 and Kimi Linear don't publish scores on any of the same benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
Kimi K3 was released by Moonshot AI on Jul 16 2026.
Kimi Linear was released by Moonshot AI on Oct 30 2025.
Other comparisons
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