API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewMoonshotAI Kimi Latest vs Grok 4.20

Pick MoonshotAI Kimi Latest for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick MoonshotAI Kimi Latest for lower cost; pick Grok 4.20 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is estimated at $2.48 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $0.02 (1% lower).

Cost-first pickMoonshotAI Kimi Latest
Context-first pickGrok 4.20
Sample savings$0.021%
10x traffic gap$0.25

Grok 4.20 has more context, but MoonshotAI Kimi Latest saves $0.02 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors MoonshotAI Kimi Latest, balanced workload favors Grok 4.20, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok 4.20.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickMoonshotAI Kimi LatestGrok 4.20
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputMoonshotAI Kimi Latest$5.39$7.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGrok 4.20$4.22$3.75
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGrok 4.20$18.18$13.75
Cheaper input MoonshotAI Kimi Latest $0.73 vs $1.25 / 1M

MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is $0.52 cheaper per 1M input tokens (41.6% lower; 1.71x difference).

Cheaper output Grok 4.20 $3.49 vs $2.5 / 1M

Grok 4.20 is $0.99 cheaper per 1M output tokens (28.4% lower; 1.4x difference).

Larger context Grok 4.20 262.14K vs 2M

Grok 4.20 has 1.74M more context (7.63x larger).

Sample workload MoonshotAI Kimi Latest $2.48 vs $2.5

MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is $0.02 cheaper on the standard workload (1% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
MoonshotAI Kimi Latest Calculating… Estimated API cost
Grok 4.20 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

MoonshotAI Kimi Latest has the lower input price; Grok 4.20 has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.48 for MoonshotAI Kimi Latest and $2.5 for Grok 4.20.

Best Fit

Choose MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when you care most about lower input-token price.

Choose Grok 4.20 when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is estimated at $2.48 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $0.02 (1% lower).
  • MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is $0.02 cheaper on the standard workload (1% lower).
  • MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is $0.52 cheaper per 1M input tokens (41.6% lower; 1.71x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 is $0.99 cheaper per 1M output tokens (28.4% lower; 1.4x difference).
  • Grok 4.20 has 1.74M more context (7.63x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewMoonshotAI Kimi Latest
(MoonshotAI)
Grok 4.20
(xAI)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0.73$1.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$3.49$2.5
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$2.48$2.5
Context Window262.14K2M
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionMoonshotAI Kimi LatestOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, MoonshotAI Kimi Latest is estimated at $2.48 vs $2.5 for Grok 4.20, saving $0.02 (1% lower).
High-volume input processingMoonshotAI Kimi LatestLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGrok 4.20Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGrok 4.20A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Kimi K2.5 can replace MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.35.
  • Kimi K2 0711 can replace MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.72.
  • Kimi K2 Thinking can replace MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.85.
  • Kimi K2 0905 can replace MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.85.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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MoonshotAI catalog

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xAI catalog

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MoonshotAI Kimi Latest

This model always redirects to the latest model in the MoonshotAI Kimi family.

Grok 4.20

Grok 4.20 is a reasoning model from xAI with industry-leading speed and agentic tool calling capabilities. It combines the lowest hallucination rate on the market with strict prompt adherance, delivering...