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Catalogmodels-api

Kimi API

situationalBlueshift — gaining momentum

Moonshot OpenAI-compatible API — K3 1M context, K2.7 Code, pay-as-you-go after a $1 top-up.

Visit platform.kimi.ai →Add to kitOpen in Noemium

ledger entry · observed by @whysanesanders

The Moonshot token meter, not Kimi Code CLI and not kimi.com chat. OpenAI SDK against api.moonshot.ai. K3 is flat $3/$15 with a cheap cache hit; coding SKU is K2.7 Code. Rate limits follow cumulative top-up. China-hosted — same compliance question as other CN labs. Not field-called here.

Strengths

  • OpenAI-compatible API with K3 1M context and K2.7 Code SKU.
  • Cheap cache-hit pricing on K3.
  • Coding SKU is clearly separated from general chat.

Known limitations

  • K3 is gated behind a successful top-up (docs: minimum $1); this is not a free playground.
  • Rate limits scale with lifetime recharge, not with a published unlimited Pro seat.
  • Docs currently warn that web_search is being updated — don't build on that tool yet.
  • Separate from Kimi Code membership (~$19–$39) and from the MIT CLI.

Use it when

  • Existing OpenAI SDK projects that want to route to Moonshot models.
  • High-context tasks that fit K3's 1M token window.

Skip it when

  • You need a free playground before committing budget.
  • China-hosted compliance is a hard no for your data.
  • You want to build on the web_search tool before it stabilizes.

Buy-check

  • ·Price — paid, no free API calls; K3 unlocked after ≥$1 top-up; K3 $0.30 cache-hit / $3 input / $15 output per 1M; K2.7 Code $0.19 / $0.95 / $4 per 1M; K2.6 $0.16 / $0.95 / $4 as of 2026-08-19. Open the pricing page, not a screenshot.
  • ·Free tier — No free tier — the trial clock starts at checkout.
  • ·Cancel fallout — What happens to your data/projects on cancel — check the ToS, not the FAQ.
  • ·Seat math — Per-seat pricing multiplies quietly. Count seats before the annual plan.
  • ·Who skips it — Also skipped when: You need a free playground before committing budget.; China-hosted compliance is a hard no for your data..

Price trailchangelog →

No price move in this repo yet.

Facts

pricing
paid1
price note
no free API calls; K3 unlocked after ≥$1 top-up; K3 $0.30 cache-hit / $3 input / $15 output per 1M; K2.7 Code $0.19 / $0.95 / $4 per 1M; K2.6 $0.16 / $0.95 / $4
free tier
no
open source
no
api
yes
self-host
no
category
models-api
evidence
source-verified

Sources

  1. 1platform.kimi.ai/docs/pricing/chat-k3[snapshot]
  2. 2platform.kimi.ai/docs/overview[snapshot]

No source, no number.

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