MiniMax-M2.1 LightningWork with me

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning

byMiniMax

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning is a reasoning model from MiniMax released on Dec 23, 2025. It reads text and writes text, with a 205K token context window and up to 131K tokens per reply.

Show more

It costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.40 per million output tokens. Cached input bills at $0.03, 90% less than fresh input.

It supports tool calling and prompt caching, and its weights are open, so you can host it yourself.

4 providers serve it, including Vercel AI Gateway, DevPass (LLM Gateway) and LLM Gateway. The lowest input price is $0.12 per million tokens at DevPass (LLM Gateway).

Modalities
In / out price
$0.30 / $2.40 per 1M
Context
205K
Max output
131K
Released
Dec 23, 2025
Knowledge cutoff
n/a
  • Tool calling
  • Structured output
  • Reasoning
  • Prompt caching
  • Open weights
  • Free to use

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning pricing

USD, as listed on Oct 15, 2026. Most bills are input heavy, so the cached input rate matters as much as the headline price.

Input$0.30 / 1M tokens
Output$2.40 / 1M tokens
Cached input (read)$0.03 / 1M tokens
Cache write$0.375 / 1M tokens

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning providers

4 providers serve it, including Vercel AI Gateway, DevPass (LLM Gateway) and LLM Gateway. The lowest input price is $0.12 per million tokens at DevPass (LLM Gateway). Each host sets its own price and limits, so the cheapest one is not always the one with the longest context.

ProviderInput /MOutput /MCache read /MContextMax output
Vercel AI Gateway$0.30$2.40$0.03205K131K
DevPass (LLM Gateway)$0.12$0.48–197K131K
LLM Gateway$0.12$0.48–197K131K
Ofox$0.30$2.40$0.03205K131K

What MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning costs per month

Pick a workload close to yours or type your own volumes.

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning per month
$35.55
Without caching
$47.70
Per request
$0.0012

Supported request parameters

What you can set when you call MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning through an OpenAI compatible API.

  • Toolstools
  • Reasoningreasoning
  • Temperaturetemperature

Alternatives to MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning

Models that take the same inputs and call tools, closest in price, cheaper ones first.

  • Index 25.2

    Reads text, images and video. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 24 providers.

    by qwenJun 2, 20261M context$0.40/M input tokens$1.60/M output tokens24 providers

  • Reads text and images. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 12 providers.

    by metaAug 10, 2026131K context$0.35/M input tokens$1.50/M output tokens12 providers

  • Reads text and images. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 2 providers.

    by cohereMay 20, 2026192K context$0.30/M input tokens$1.50/M output tokens2 providers

  • Reads text, images, files, audio and video. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 25 providers.

    by googleFeb 18, 2026$0.25/M input tokens$1.50/M output tokens25 providers

  • Reads text, images, audio and video. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 18 providers.

    by qwenFeb 23, 2026$0.30/M input tokens$2.40/M output tokens18 providers

  • Reads text, images, audio and video. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 17 providers.

    by xiaomiSep 22, 20261.05M context$0.435/M input tokens$0.87/M output tokens17 providers

More from MiniMax

  • Generates video from text and images.

    by minimaxAug 27, 2026

  • Generates video from text and images.

    by minimaxJul 31, 2026

  • Index 29.2

    Reads text, images and video. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 42 providers.

    by minimaxMay 31, 20261M context$0.30/M input tokens$1.20/M output tokens42 providers

  • Reads text. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 3 providers.

    by minimaxMay 3, 2026$0.30/M input tokens$1.20/M output tokens3 providers

  • Reads text. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 35 providers.

    by minimaxMar 18, 2026$0.30/M input tokens$1.20/M output tokens35 providers

  • Reads text. Tool calling, structured output, reasoning. Served by 16 providers.

    by minimaxMar 18, 2026$0.60/M input tokens$2.40/M output tokens16 providers

All MiniMax models

MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning questions

How much does the MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning API cost?

$0.30 per million input tokens and $2.40 per million output tokens, with cached input at $0.03. The estimator on this page turns that into a monthly bill for your own workload.

What is the context window of MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning?

204,800 tokens of input, and it can write up to 131,072 tokens in one reply. As a rough guide, a million tokens is around 750,000 English words.

Which providers serve MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning?

4 providers serve it, including Vercel AI Gateway, DevPass (LLM Gateway) and LLM Gateway. The lowest input price is $0.12 per million tokens at DevPass (LLM Gateway). Prices differ by host, so the Providers table on this page lists each one with its input and output price.

Does MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning support tool calling?

Yes. It accepts tool definitions, which is what an agent needs to call your APIs.

Is MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning open source?

Its weights are published, so you can run it on your own hardware or a cloud of your choice. Read the license before commercial use.

When was MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning released?

Dec 23, 2025.

Catalog data from models.dev (MIT licensed), refreshed daily, last on Oct 15, 2026. The summary is written from these facts.

Building on MiniMax-M2.1 Lightning?

I test your real tasks on it and the two closest alternatives, then ship the agent on whichever wins on cost and accuracy.

Book Meeting