Gemini 4 Argon vs Kimi K3
Gemini 4 Argon scores higher on the Models at Work leaderboard (85 vs 60 out of 100). Gemini 4 Argon is about 1.2× cheaper per blended million tokens ($1.99 vs $2.31, one figure an Artificial Analysis estimate). On Artificial Analysis' independent Intelligence Index, Gemini 4 Argon leads 53 to 44.
| Gemini 4 Argon · Google | Kimi K3 · Moonshot | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaderboard rank | #3 | #11 |
| Score (0–100) | 85 | 60 |
| Tier | Frontier | Open weights |
| Price per 1M tokens | $1.99 blended (estimate) | $2.31 blended (estimate) |
| Context window | 1M | Not verified |
| Open weights | No | Yes |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index | 53 | 44 |
| Arena text score | 1525 | 1488 |
| Best for | Chat and assistant products, Google Cloud shops, Price-sensitive frontier work | Self-hosting, Open-licence requirements, Arena-style chat quality |
Choose Gemini 4 Argon if…
- you need chat and assistant products
- you need google cloud shops
- you need price-sensitive frontier work
Wins the popularity contest: first on Arena, mid-pack on the index, and priced like a workhorse.
Caveats: Google's public pricing page did not list Argon when read; the blended figure is Artificial Analysis' estimate.
Choose Kimi K3 if…
- you need self-hosting
- you need open-licence requirements
- you need arena-style chat quality
The highest-placed open-licence model on Arena, and the one most teams have not tried yet.
Caveats: Price is Artificial Analysis' blended figure, not a vendor list price; context not verified from a primary source.
What practitioners say
Gemini 4 Argon: The announcement thread ran to 1,190 comments; the independent analysis thread was smaller and more measured.
Questions people ask
Which is better, Gemini 4 Argon or Kimi K3?
Gemini 4 Argon scores higher on the Models at Work leaderboard (85 vs 60 out of 100). Gemini 4 Argon is about 1.2× cheaper per blended million tokens ($1.99 vs $2.31, one figure an Artificial Analysis estimate). On Artificial Analysis' independent Intelligence Index, Gemini 4 Argon leads 53 to 44.
When should I choose Gemini 4 Argon over Kimi K3?
Choose Gemini 4 Argon for chat and assistant products, google cloud shops, price-sensitive frontier work. Wins the popularity contest: first on Arena, mid-pack on the index, and priced like a workhorse.
When should I choose Kimi K3 over Gemini 4 Argon?
Choose Kimi K3 for self-hosting, open-licence requirements, arena-style chat quality. The highest-placed open-licence model on Arena, and the one most teams have not tried yet.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 4 Argon or Kimi K3?
Google does not publish a simple list price for Gemini 4 Argon; Artificial Analysis estimates a blended $1.99 per million tokens (three input to one output). Moonshot does not publish a simple list price for Kimi K3; Artificial Analysis estimates a blended $2.31 per million tokens (three input to one output).
Scores come from the Models at Work leaderboard: Score is 0 to 100: 50% independent evals normalised within this table, 20% price-performance, 15% practitioner sentiment from Signals and community threads, 15% operational fit (context, speed, availability, open weights). Models within three points are a tie in practice. Vendor-published figures are labelled as such and never counted as independent. Prices are vendor list prices where published; blended figures assume three input tokens per output token.