Prices › Hot models › Kimi
Kimi API pricing, free access & setup
As of 2026-10-17, we track 3 Kimi models (Moonshot AI (Kimi)). The cheapest is Kimi K2.7 Code: $0.95 / $4 per 1M input/output tokens via OpenRouter (blended $1.71). On OpenRouter's weekly ranking (as of 2026-10-16) the Kimi family routed about 2.4T tokens, #8 among our 10 hot families. 1 verified free/deal routes are listed.
Conclusions & evidence
| Topic | Conclusion | Channel | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Cheapest overall: Kimi K2.7 Code, $0.95 / $4 per 1M input/output | OpenRouter | openrouter.ai | 2026-10-17 12:20 UTC+8 |
| Price | Cheapest on an official channel: Kimi K2.7 Code, ¥6.5 / ¥27 | Official (China) | platform.moonshot.cn | 2026-10-17 09:45 UTC+8 |
| Region | Mainland direct: yes | Official (China) | platform.kimi.com | 2026-10-17 |
| Payment | Alipay: yes; overseas card: not required | Official (China) | platform.kimi.com | 2026-10-17 |
| Real-name | ID verification: required | Official (China) | platform.kimi.com | 2026-10-17 |
| Region | Mainland direct: unverified | Official (Intl) | ? unverified | ? |
| Payment | Alipay: unverified; overseas card: unverified | Official (Intl) | ? unverified | ? |
| Real-name | ID verification: unverified | Official (Intl) | ? unverified | ? |
| Region | Mainland direct: yes; provider region limits unverified (Kimi K2.7 Code) | OpenRouter | our test | 2026-10-17 |
| Payment | Alipay: yes; overseas card: not required | OpenRouter | verified | 2026-10-17 |
| Real-name | ID verification: not required | OpenRouter | verified | 2026-10-17 |
Each conclusion is tied to one channel, one source link and a check time; “verified” means checked by the site owner, conclusion only.
Last updated: 2026-10-17 · Moonshot AI (Kimi) · Official pricing
Contents: Evidence · Prices · Free & deals · China · Setup · Benchmark · Changes · FAQ
Kimi API prices, all channels (per 1M tokens)
| Model | Channel | Blended | Input | Output | Cached | This channel | Native | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi K2.7 Code | Official (China) | $1.74 | $0.97 | $4.03 | $0.194 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✓ID✗Intl card | ¥6.5 / ¥27 | platform.moonshot.cn 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K2.7 Code | OpenRouter | $1.71 | $0.95 | $4 | $0.19 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✗ID✗Intl card | $0.95 / $4 | openrouter.ai 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K2.6 | Official (China) | $1.74 | $0.97 | $4.03 | $0.164 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✓ID✗Intl card | ¥6.5 / ¥27 | platform.moonshot.cn 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K2.6 | OpenRouter | $1.71 | $0.95 | $4 | $0.16 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✗ID✗Intl card | $0.95 / $4 | openrouter.ai 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K3 | Official (China) | $5.97 | $2.99 | $14.93 | $0.299 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✓ID✗Intl card | ¥20 / ¥100 | platform.moonshot.cn 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K3 | Official (Intl) | $6 | $3 | $15 | $0.3 | ?CN direct·unverified?Alipay·unverified?ID·unverified?Intl card·unverified | $3 / $15 | platform.moonshot.ai 2026-10-17 |
| Kimi K3 | OpenRouter | $6 | $3 | $15 | $0.3 | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✗ID✗Intl card | $3 / $15 | openrouter.ai 2026-10-17 |
Blended = 0.75×input + 0.25×output. Relay prices not yet tracked. Methodology
How to use Kimi for free & current deals
| Details | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
¥15 voucher after identity verification (not usable for Kimi K3)
Granted after personal or company verification; expiry not stated. | active | official link 2026-10-17 |
All free LLM APIs → · Submit a deal
Using Kimi from China
| Channel | Access & payment | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official (China) | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✓ID✗Intl card | Moonshot AI (Kimi) China platform: Official docs: verify identity first, then top up via WeChat/Alipay QR. Mainland direct: platform.moonshot.cn carries ICP filing 京ICP备2023011302号 (checked 2026-10-17). | platform.kimi.com 2026-10-17 |
| Official (Intl) | ?CN direct·unverified?Alipay·unverified?ID·unverified?Intl card·unverified | Moonshot AI (Kimi) international site: access & payment conditions not verified (China-site conditions do not apply). | unverified |
| OpenRouter | ✓CN direct✓Alipay✗ID✗Intl card | OpenRouter: no ID verification required; Alipay accepted, as are major credit cards and USDC, so no overseas card is needed. Mainland access: our 2026-10-17 test from Shanghai China Unicom (IPv4+IPv6, no proxy) reached the site and API; other ISPs not tested. The Terms say some model providers bar certain countries/regions, and such Restricted Models may not be accessed through OpenRouter. Whether this model provider restricts mainland China or other regions: no explicit official statement found (?). | openrouter.ai 2026-10-17 |
Use Kimi in Claude Code / Codex / OpenCode / CC Switch
Check official docs for model IDs. Source
Claude Code · Codex · OpenCode · CC Switch · Cline
Kimi benchmarks & popularity
| Model | Intelligence | Coding | Agentic | AA variant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimi K2.7 Code | 25.8 | 60.8 | 21 | Kimi K2.7 Code |
| Kimi K2.6 | 27 | 61.8 | 20.5 | Kimi K2.6 (Reasoning) |
| Kimi K3 | 43.6 | 76.2 | 50 | Kimi K3 (Max) |
Source: Artificial Analysis indices as shown in the Benchmarks section of OpenRouter rankings, fetched 2026-10-17; higher is better; test variant in the last column. Models not listed have no score from this source. openrouter.ai/rankings · artificialanalysis.ai
OpenRouter weekly ranking (tokens)
- #16
moonshotai/kimi-k3-20260715· 2.4T tokens
Source: OpenRouter (openrouter.ai/rankings), as of 2026-10-16; reflects OpenRouter routing volume only. openrouter.ai/rankings
Kimi price changes
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.6 cached: $0.15 → $0.16 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.6 output: $3.41 → $4 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.6 input: $0.65 → $0.95 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.7 Code cached: $0.18 → $0.19 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.7 Code output: $3.35 → $4 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.7 Code input: $0.6712 → $0.95 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K3 cached: $0.21 → $0.3 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K3 output: $11.936 → $15 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K3 input: $0.304 → $3 (OpenRouter basis change: model list price → Moonshot AI (original vendor); not a provider price change)
- 2026-10-17 · Official (Intl) · Kimi K3 listed · $3 / $15
- 2026-10-17 · Official (China) · Kimi K2.6 listed · ¥6.5 / ¥27
- 2026-10-17 · Official (China) · Kimi K2.7 Code listed · ¥6.5 / ¥27
- 2026-10-17 · Official (China) · Kimi K3 listed · ¥20 / ¥100
- 2026-10-17 · OpenRouter · Kimi K2.6 listed · $0.65 / $3.41
Kimi vs others
Kimi K3 vs GLM-5.3 · Kimi K3 vs DeepSeek V4 Pro (0813) · MiniMax-M3 vs Kimi K2.6 · Kimi K2.7 Code vs Claude Sonnet 5.5 ·
FAQ
How much does the Kimi API cost?
As of 2026-10-17, the cheapest is Kimi K2.7 Code at $0.95 / $4 per 1M input/output tokens (OpenRouter). See the table for all models, each with a source.
What is the official Kimi K2.7 Code price?
Official (Official (China)): ¥6.5 / ¥27 per 1M input/output tokens, cached ¥1.3, verified 2026-10-17.
What is the official Kimi K2.6 price?
Official (Official (China)): ¥6.5 / ¥27 per 1M input/output tokens, cached ¥1.1, verified 2026-10-17.
Is the Kimi API free?
1 verified free/deal routes: ¥15 voucher after identity verification (not usable for Kimi K3).
Can I use Kimi from mainland China?
Official (China): direct yes, Alipay yes, ID required yes, overseas card no; Official (Intl): direct unverified, Alipay unverified, ID required unverified, overseas card unverified; OpenRouter: direct yes, Alipay yes, ID required no, overseas card no. Conditions are verified per channel; sources and check times are in the Conclusions & evidence table.
How do I use Kimi in Claude Code?
We have not verified an Anthropic-compatible endpoint for Moonshot AI (Kimi).
How does Kimi score on benchmarks?
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (via OpenRouter rankings, 2026-10-17): Kimi K2.7 Code 25.8, Kimi K2.6 27, Kimi K3 43.6.
How do I use Kimi in Codex CLI?
To be verified: Codex only supports the Responses API; support by Moonshot AI (Kimi) or OpenRouter is not yet verified.
How popular is Kimi?
On OpenRouter's weekly ranking (as of 2026-10-16) the Kimi family routed ~2.4T tokens. This reflects OpenRouter routing volume only.
Are there cheaper alternatives to Kimi?
See the home table sorted by blended price and our cheapest-LLM-API ranking.
Other hot models
DeepSeek · GLM (Zhipu) · Step (StepFun) · Hunyuan / HY (Tencent) · MiMo (Xiaomi) · Claude · GPT (OpenAI) · Gemini · Qwen ·