modelgrep

MiniMax M1 alternatives

Match · Updated July 2026

The closest alternative to MiniMax M1 is MiniMax M3 — comparable intelligence (44.4 vs —); for a cheaper option, GPT-5.6 Luna runs $0.500/M vs $0.550/M; and the best open-weight substitute is Kimi K3.

Frequently asked

What is the best alternative to MiniMax M1?

MiniMax M3 is the closest alternative to MiniMax M1, with an Intelligence Index of 44.4 (MiniMax M1 scores —) at $0.300 per million input tokens.

Is there a cheaper alternative to MiniMax M1?

Yes — GPT-5.6 Luna costs $0.500 per million input tokens versus $0.550 for MiniMax M1, while staying within ~8 points of its Intelligence Index.

Is there an open-source alternative to MiniMax M1?

Kimi K3 is the strongest open-weight alternative to MiniMax M1 — downloadable from Hugging Face and self-hostable, scoring 57.1 on intelligence.