Kimi K2 vs Claude Haiku 4.5 for react: which is better in 2026?
A head-to-head look at Kimi K2 and Claude Haiku 4.5 for react. Benchmarks via artificialanalysis.ai, pricing as of May 2026. Compare AI models like these inside Admix.
Quick verdict
For react in May 2026, Kimi K2 edges out Claude Haiku 4.5 on the codingIndex metric. Huge context window at low price.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Kimi | Haiku |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence index | 70.4 | 65.8 |
| Coding index | 68.9 | 66.2 |
| Context window | 2M tokens | 500K tokens |
| Speed (tok/s) | 110 | 205 |
| Input $/M | $0.60 | $0.80 |
| Output $/M | $2.50 | $4.00 |
| Released | Dec 11, 2025 | Mar 19, 2026 |
How they handle react
Kimi K2: Huge context window at low price. The main caveat is coding lags western frontier models.
Claude Haiku 4.5: Cheap Claude quality for everyday tasks. The main caveat is not as strong as opus on agentic coding.
Cost per 1,000 queries
Assuming 1,500 input and 800 output tokens per query:
- Kimi K2: $2.90 per 1,000 queries
- Claude Haiku 4.5: $4.40 per 1,000 queries
Verdict by sub-task
- Best raw quality on react:
- Best price: Kimi K2
- Longest context: Kimi K2
- Fastest: Claude Haiku 4.5
FAQ
Is Kimi K2 better than Claude Haiku 4.5 for react?
On May 2026 benchmarks (artificialanalysis.ai), Kimi K2 ranks higher than Claude Haiku 4.5 for react on the codingIndex metric. The gap is small enough that the choice often comes down to price, context length, and tone.
Which is cheaper, Kimi K2 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
Kimi K2 costs $0.60 input and $2.50 output per million tokens. Claude Haiku 4.5 costs $0.80 input and $4.00 output per million tokens.
Can I use both Kimi and Haiku in one app?
Yes. Admix is a multi model AI chat aggregator that lets you run Kimi K2 and Claude Haiku 4.5 side by side under one subscription.
Sources
Benchmarks from artificialanalysis.ai (May 2026).
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