Kimi K3.1 Pro vs MiniMax M3
Kimi K3.1 Pro took 32 min 17 s and $1.27 at list price, MiniMax M3 took 33 min 3 s and $0.21 at list price. Both took about as long, and Kimi K3.1 Pro cost 6.0× as much.
Kimi K3.1 Pro
Moonshot AI · $10.00/M out · 1,168 HN pts
MiniMax M3
MiniMax · $1.20/M out · 144 HN pts
Pelican
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
Watch
Draw a mechanical wristwatch that shows the current local time, with a sweeping seconds hand and a date window. Make it look expensive.
Landing
Build the landing page for Lumen Cycles, a Copenhagen workshop that builds custom cargo bikes to order. Make it look like a real brand you would trust with 4,000 euros.
Breakout
Make a Breakout game I can play right now with the keyboard or the mouse. Give it several levels, a score and some juice.
Logo
Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.
About
Write the opening of the About us page for Patchbay, a three-person studio in Rotterdam that repairs vintage synthesizers. About 150 words.
Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam devoted to keeping vintage synthesizers alive, playable, and full of character. We work on instruments that have spent decades in studios, bedrooms, and tour cases, and we believe each one deserves more than a quick fix. From drifting oscillators and noisy sliders to tired keybeds and mysterious faults, we take the time to listen, diagnose, and repair with care.
Our approach combines patient troubleshooting, period-correct components where possible, and a deep respect for the original sound. We do not believe in erasing an instrument’s history; we preserve the quirks that make it worth loving. Whether your synthesizer needs a full overhaul or a little help getting back on stage, you will always know who is working on it and why. Patchbay exists for the joy of switching on an old machine and hearing it come back to life.
Patchbay began in a cluttered apartment in Rotterdam, where three friends spent weekends coaxing old synthesizers back to life. What started as a shared obsession quickly outgrew the living room. In 2016, we opened our first proper workshop in a converted warehouse on the south side of the city, and we have been soldering, calibrating, and listening closely ever since.
We are a small team of three. Niels handles the analog work, coaxing warm tones from aging oscillators and reluctant filters. Marijn focuses on digital systems and the occasional stubborn MIDI quirk. Sanna manages restorations, sourcing rare components and keeping long projects on track. Between us, we have decades of experience with the machines that shaped electronic music.
Every synth that passes through our doors carries decades of sound inside it. Our job is to make sure that story continues.
Specs and numbers
| Kimi K3.1 Pro | MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Moonshot AI | MiniMax |
| Made in | China | China |
| Released | 23 Oct 2026 | 31 May 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $2.00 | $0.30 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $10.00 | $1.20 |
| Context | 1,048,576 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens |
| Weights | closed | open |
| Hacker News points | 1,168 | 144 |
| Time for the six prompts | 32 min 17 s | 33 min 3 s |
| List price of the six prompts | $1.27 | $0.21 |
MiniMax M3 was cheaper: $1.06 less at list price, and less on each of the 6 prompts. Both took about as long in total, and each was faster on 3 of the 6 prompts.
In the recording, both Breakout games play.
Rebuild this screen experiment: Kimi K3.1 Pro's rebuild matched the screenshot at 87%; MiniMax M3 was not in it. Tea Garden experiment: Kimi K3.1 Pro's game passed 5 of 5 checks; MiniMax M3 was not in it.