MiniMax M3.1 Flash Pricing: Is the New MiniMax Model Worth It?
MiniMax M3.1 Flash from MiniMax was listed on OpenRouter on 2026-10-19. It costs $0.15 per 1M input tokens and $0.60 per 1M output tokens, with 1M context, making it MiniMax's cheapest priced model on OpenRouter.
By Aniruddh PanvalkarPricing verified Oct 27, 2026
Plans and pricing
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
$0.15 input / $0.60 output per 1M tokens1M context on OpenRouter (minimax/minimax-m3.1-flash). 1M input plus 1M output tokens: $0.75.
Best for
Teams evaluating the newest release on their own tasks before switching.
Not for
Switching production traffic before it has passed the same tests as your current model.
MiniMax M2
$0.26 input / $1.02 output per 1M tokens205K context on OpenRouter (minimax/minimax-m2). 1M input plus 1M output tokens: $1.27.
Best for
The cheapest MiniMax option to benchmark the new model against.
Not for
Tasks the newer model handles and this one does not.
Prices are OpenRouter's listed per-token prices, read from the OpenRouter models API and checked 2026-10-27. New models often change price in their first weeks; buying direct can be priced differently.
Should you switch to MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
Run your own prompts through it next to the model you use today and compare the cost per accepted answer, not the cost per token. Switch only the workloads where it wins.
Calculate your exact cost →Who is overpaying for MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
- Teams moving all traffic to MiniMax M3.1 Flash on launch day without a side-by-side test
- Anyone paying flagship prices for work an older, cheaper model already does well
- Buyers who ignore output-token prices, which usually dominate the bill
Sources
Prices on this page are checked against these vendor pricing pages and catalogue entries.
- openrouter.ai/api/v1/models
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m3.1-flash
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m1
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2-her
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2.1
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2.5
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2.7
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m2.7:free
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m3
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m3:batch
- openrouter.ai/minimax/minimax-m3:free
Frequently asked questions
How much does MiniMax M3.1 Flash cost?
$0.15 per 1M input tokens and $0.60 per 1M output tokens on OpenRouter (checked 2026-10-27).
When was MiniMax M3.1 Flash released?
OpenRouter listed it on 2026-10-19.
Is MiniMax M3.1 Flash worth it?
Only if it passes your tasks more often than a cheaper model does. Measure cost per accepted answer with the AI Cost Calculator.