QUICK VERDICT — AUGUST 2026
Kimi K3 now: Use Kimi K3 for production 2T+ frontier work. Self-hosted via Modified MIT weights on Western cloud reduces the Treasury sanctions risk. Freeze new Moonshot API commitments until the sanctions situation resolves.
Test Qwen3.8-Max-Preview: Run via Token Plan at ~10% of standard pricing. When Alibaba publishes a benchmark table, active parameter count, and open-weight checkpoint — reassess. If the claims hold, it could match or beat K3 without the regulatory risk.
Last updated August 3, 2026. Related: Qwen3.8-Max full fact-check → · Kimi K3 download guide →
⚖ Our Verdict
Kimi K3 wins on every verifiable dimension today — published benchmarks, live open weights, confirmed API price. Qwen3.8-Max-Preview has none of these. Test Qwen3.8 via Token Plan preview; use Kimi K3 (self-hosted via Modified MIT on Western cloud to reduce sanctions risk) for production work needing a 2T+ frontier model now.