Claude Opus 4.8 vs MiniMax M3
Price, context and benchmark scores side by side — every number from the live model catalogue.
| Claude Opus 4.8anthropic | MiniMax M3minimax | |
|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M tokens | $5.00 | $0.240 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $25.00 | $0.960 |
| 1M in + 300K out | $12.50 | $0.53 |
| Context window | 1M | 1.0M |
| Intelligence index | 55.7 | 44.4 |
| Coding index | 74.3 | 58.6 |
| Agentic index | 47.2 | 35.4 |
| Cheapest provider | Azure | GMICloud |
| Providers serving it | 4 | 8 |
| Weights | Closed | Open |
| Image input | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning mode | Yes | Yes |
| Released | May 27, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
Which one to pick
Pick Claude Opus 4.8 if…
- You want the higher general-intelligence score (55.7).
- Code quality is the priority — it leads on the coding index (74.3).
- You are running agent loops — higher agentic index (47.2).
Pick MiniMax M3 if…
- Token cost matters: $0.960 per 1M output vs $25.00.
- You need the bigger context window (1.0M).
- You want the option to self-host — weights are public.
- You want provider redundancy: 8 providers serve it.
FAQ
Is Claude Opus 4.8 better than MiniMax M3?
Claude Opus 4.8 scores higher on general intelligence (55.7 vs 44.4), while MiniMax M3 is 26× cheaper per output token ($0.960 vs $25.00). For code, Claude Opus 4.8 leads (74.3 coding index). MiniMax M3 takes the larger context at 1.0M.
Which is cheaper, Claude Opus 4.8 or MiniMax M3?
MiniMax M3, at $0.960 per 1M output tokens versus $25.00. On a 1M input + 300K output workload that is $0.53 against $12.50.
Can I self-host Claude Opus 4.8 or MiniMax M3?
Claude Opus 4.8: closed weights, API only. MiniMax M3: open weights (MiniMaxAI/Minimax-M3).