Model comparison
MiniMax M2 vs Claude Haiku 4.5
- Input
- $0.30 / 1M tokens
- Output
- $1.20 / 1M tokens
- Context
- 204K
- Released
- 2025-10-27
- Input
- $1.00
- Output
- $5.00
- Context
- 200K
- Released
- 2025-10-15
MiniMax M2 and Claude Haiku 4.5 split the 2 benchmarks both report evenly; MiniMax M2 is cheaper on input tokens ($0.3 vs $1 per 1M, 3.3×); MiniMax M2 has the larger context window (204K vs 200K); MiniMax M2 ships open weights while Claude Haiku 4.5 is API-only.
Specs and pricing side by side
| Spec | MiniMax M2 | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | MiniMax | Anthropic |
| Released | 2025-10-27 | 2025-10-15 |
| Context window | 204K | 200K |
| Max output | Not publicly disclosed | 64K |
| Input price | $0.30 / 1M tokens | $1.00 |
| Output price | $1.20 / 1M tokens | $5.00 |
| Parameters | 230B total / 10B active (MoE) | Undisclosed |
| License | MIT (modified) | Proprietary |
| Weights | Open weights | API only |
| Modalities | Text | Text, Vision |
| Knowledge cutoff | Not publicly disclosed | Feb 2025 |
Benchmarks both models report
| Benchmark | MiniMax M2 | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 69.4% | 73.3% |
| Terminal-Bench | 46.3% | 41.75% |
Scores are as published by each maker or its cited source; harness, reasoning effort and date can differ between rows, so treat small gaps as ties. Sources are listed on each model page.
Which one should you pick?
Pick MiniMax M2 if…
- You care about Terminal-Bench (it scores higher on 1 shared benchmark).
- Cost matters: input tokens cost 3.3× less ($0.3 vs $1 per 1M).
- You need the longer context (204K vs 200K).
- You want to self-host or fine-tune (open weights, MIT (modified)).
- Your use case is: autonomous and semi-autonomous coding agents that do multi-file edits and run-fix loops.
Pick Claude Haiku 4.5 if…
- You care about SWE-bench Verified (it scores higher on 1 shared benchmark).
- You need Vision input, which MiniMax M2 lacks.
- Your use case is: reach for it when you need low-latency, high-volume inference such as real-time chat or large fan-out agent fleets.
FAQ
Which is better, MiniMax M2 or Claude Haiku 4.5?
MiniMax M2 and Claude Haiku 4.5 split the 2 benchmarks both report evenly; MiniMax M2 is cheaper on input tokens ($0.3 vs $1 per 1M, 3.3×); MiniMax M2 has the larger context window (204K vs 200K); MiniMax M2 ships open weights while Claude Haiku 4.5 is API-only. The better pick depends on whether you value benchmark scores, price per token, context length or openness for your workload.
How much cheaper is MiniMax M2?
MiniMax M2: $0.30 / 1M tokens input, $1.20 / 1M tokens output. Claude Haiku 4.5: $1.00 input, $5.00 output (list API prices as published by each maker).
What are the context windows of MiniMax M2 and Claude Haiku 4.5?
MiniMax M2 offers 204K with up to Not publicly disclosed output; Claude Haiku 4.5 offers 200K with up to 64K output.
Is MiniMax M2 newer than Claude Haiku 4.5?
MiniMax M2 was released 2025-10-27; Claude Haiku 4.5 was released 2025-10-15.