AI model comparison
Qwen3.5-27B vs Kimi K2 Thinking
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
Qwen
Qwen3.5-27B
The Qwen3.5 27B native vision-language Dense model incorporates a linear attention mechanism, delivering fast response times while balancing inference speed and performance.
- Input / 1M
- $0.26
- Output / 1M
- $2.60
- Context
- 262K
Moonshot AI
Kimi K2 Thinking
Kimi K2 Thinking is Moonshot AI’s most advanced open reasoning model to date, extending the K2 series into agentic, long-horizon reasoning.
- Input / 1M
- $0.60
- Output / 1M
- $2.50
- Context
- 262K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Qwen3.5-27B
1.3x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Qwen3.5-27B
22.9 vs 22 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Tie
262K vs 262K tokens
Newer release
Qwen3.5-27B
Released February 25, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Coding index
Agentic index
Pricing
Qwen3.5-27B vs Kimi K2 Thinking API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.26 | $0.60 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $2.60 | $2.50 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | Not available | $0.15 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 262K tokens | 262K tokens |
| Max output | 82K tokens | 98K tokens |
| Input types | Image, Text, Video | Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Not available |
| Release date | February 25, 2026 | November 6, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Our take
Qwen3.5-27B is 1.3x cheaper for a typical chat. Qwen3.5-27B scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (22.9 vs 22). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Qwen3.5-27B or Kimi K2 Thinking cheaper?
Qwen3.5-27B is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Qwen3.5-27B costs $0.26 per 1M input tokens and $2.60 per 1M output tokens, while Kimi K2 Thinking costs $0.60 per 1M input tokens and $2.50 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Qwen3.5-27B or Kimi K2 Thinking?
Qwen3.5-27B supports up to 262K tokens of context, compared with 262K for Kimi K2 Thinking.
Is Qwen3.5-27B smarter than Kimi K2 Thinking?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Qwen3.5-27B scores 22.9 and Kimi K2 Thinking scores 22, putting Qwen3.5-27B ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Qwen3.5-27B and Kimi K2 Thinking at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Qwen3.5-27B and Kimi K2 Thinking answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Qwen3.5-27B and Kimi K2 Thinking at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.