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MiniMax M1
Free PlanOpen SourceBest For Teams

MiniMax M1

by MiniMax

Open-source large-scale hybrid-attention reasoning model.

Reviewed May 2026by CBAI Editorial Team
8.0/10

Score

4.0 out of 5 · our score
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Developer

Our verdict

MiniMax M1 offers a groundbreaking open-source solution for complex reasoning tasks, featuring a 1 million token context window and efficient processing capabilities. Its hybrid architecture and lightning attention mechanism set it apart from competitors, making it a valuable tool for developers and businesses seeking advanced AI capabilities. The free access and open-source nature further enhance its appeal, though integration may require technical expertise.

Overview

MiniMax M1 is the world's first open-source, large-scale hybrid-attention reasoning model, introduced in 2025. Developed by MiniMax, it features a hybrid Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture combined with a lightning attention mechanism, enabling efficient processing of long sequences up to 1 million tokens. This model is optimized for complex tasks requiring extensive reasoning and long-context understanding, such as software engineering and mathematical reasoning. It has d…

Score breakdown

Overall score

8.0/10
Output quality8.5/10
Ease of use7.5/10
Value for money9.0/10
Features & tools8.5/10
API & integrations7.0/10
Support & docs7.5/10

Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.

Expert review

C

CBAI Editorial Team

Compare Best AI · Editorial Team

## Overview

How we tested

Days tested

7 days

Tasks evaluated

  • ·Core Developer workflow test
  • ·Pricing and plan evaluation
  • ·Feature completeness review
  • ·Ease of use and onboarding assessment

Method

Compared against DeepSeek R1 and Qwen3-235B using identical inputs

Reviewer

CBAI Editorial Team

Plans & pricing

Free

$0/mo

Individual developers and small teams

  • Access to model weights
  • Community support
Most Popular

API Usage

$0.40 per million input tokens; $2.20 per million output tokens/pay-as-you-go

Businesses and large-scale applications

  • API access
  • Scalable usage
  • Commercial applications

Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.

Feature comparison

FeatureMiniMax M1DeepSeek R1Qwen3-235B
Core
1 million token context window
Hybrid Mixture-of-Experts architecture
Lightning attention mechanism
Open-source under Apache 2.0 license
Pricing
Free version available
API pricing
Included Partial / add-on Not included

Is it right for you?

Good fit for

Individual Developers

Access to advanced reasoning capabilities without cost.

Small Teams

Efficient processing of long-context tasks with open-source flexibility.

Businesses

Scalable API access for complex applications.

Less suited for

Users Seeking Proprietary Solutions

Requires adaptation to open-source tools.

Users Needing Out-of-the-Box Applications

Primarily a model for integration, not a standalone application.

User reviews

4.0

Editorial score

5
48%
4
28%
3
6%
2
4%
1
0%

Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.

Integrations

Reported connectors

Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.

  • ["Hugging Face","GitHub","OpenRouter API"]

Details

Category

Developer

Price

  • Free
  • API $0.40 per million input tokens
  • $2.20 per million output tokens

Free version

Yes

Best for

  • Software engineering tasks
  • Complex multi-step reasoning
  • Applications requiring long-context understanding.

Frequently asked questions

MiniMax M1

MiniMax M1

Developer

Ready to get started?

Visit the MiniMax M1 website to explore plans and start your free trial.

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