Llama 4 Maverick vs MiniMax M3: cost per task
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 7 of 14 tasks and about 1.2x cheaper on average (geometric mean). MiniMax M3 has the higher LMArena Text score (1441 vs 1327).
| Task | Llama 4 Maverick | MiniMax M3 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answer a chat question | 0.11¢ | 0.12¢ | 1.1x |
| Reply to a customer email | 0.05¢ | 0.07¢ | 1.3x |
| Write a 1,500-word blog post | 1.0¢ | 0.27¢ | 3.8x |
| Write 10 product descriptions | 1.1¢ | 0.21¢ | 5.1x |
| Translate 1,000 words | 0.11¢ | 0.73¢ | 6.7x |
| Proofread one page (500 words) | 0.13¢ | 0.15¢ | 1.2x |
| Summarize a 20-page PDF | 0.42¢ | 0.47¢ | 1.1x |
| Extract data from an invoice | 0.15¢ | 0.12¢ | 1.3x |
| Analyze a 200-row spreadsheet | 1.2¢ | 2.1¢ | 1.8x |
| Answer from 5 retrieved documents (RAG) | 0.26¢ | 0.26¢ | 1.0x |
| Classify 100 support tickets | 0.58¢ | 0.27¢ | 2.1x |
| Review 500 lines of code | 1.1¢ | 0.45¢ | 2.5x |
| Write a SQL query | 0.17¢ | 0.09¢ | 1.9x |
| Run a 50-step coding agent | 19¢ | 18¢ | 1.0x |
Specs and list prices
| Llama 4 Maverick | MiniMax M3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input per 1M | $0.19 | $0.30 |
| Output per 1M | $0.65 | $1.20 |
| Cached input per 1M | $0.05 | $0.06 |
| Context | 1M | 1M |
| Providers | 4 | 14 |
| Reasoning | none | none |
| LMArena Text | 1327 | 1441 |
| Released | Apr 5, 2025 | May 31, 2026 |
FAQ
Is Llama 4 Maverick or MiniMax M3 cheaper?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper on 7 of 14 tasks and about 1.2x cheaper on average (geometric mean). MiniMax M3 has the higher LMArena Text score (1441 vs 1327).
How much does Llama 4 Maverick cost compared to MiniMax M3 per token?
Llama 4 Maverick: $0.19 input and $0.65 output per 1M tokens. MiniMax M3: $0.30 input and $1.20 output. Token prices alone mislead - models use different numbers of tokens for the same task, which is what the task table shows.