MiniMax M2.1 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5: price, context window and capabilities
MiniMax M2.1 (minimax/minimax-m2.1) is a language model from MiniMax and Claude Sonnet 5.5 (anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5) a multimodal language model from Anthropic; both are on the OceanToken API. MiniMax M2.1 costs less per token than Claude Sonnet 5.5: $0.30 against $1.80 per 1M input tokens (83% less) and $1.20 against $9.00 per 1M output tokens (87% less). Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 10% off its official price on OceanToken, for every account. Claude Sonnet 5.5 has the larger context window: 1M tokens (1,000,000) against 205K (204,800) for MiniMax M2.1. Both support tool calling and reasoning; only Claude Sonnet 5.5 also lists structured outputs, image input and file input.
Side by side
| Spec | MiniMax M2.1 | Claude Sonnet 5.5 −10% |
|---|---|---|
| Model | MiniMax M2.1minimax/ | Claude Sonnet 5.5anthropic/ |
| Publisher | MiniMax | Anthropic |
| Kind | Text | Text & vision |
| Context window | 205K tokens204,800 | 1M tokens1,000,000 |
| Input price | $0.30 / 1M tokens | $1.80 / 1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.20 / 1M tokens | $9.00 / 1M tokens |
| Cached input price | $0.03 / 1M tokens | $0.10 / 1M tokens |
| Cache write price | – | $2.50 / 1M tokens |
| Web search price | – | $0.01 / search |
| Discount (vs official, top tier) | — | −10% |
| Inputs | text | text, images and files |
| Outputs | text | text |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Not listed | Yes |
About these prices
Which should you choose?
- Choose MiniMax M2.1 to spend less per token: 83% less for input and 87% less for output than Claude Sonnet 5.5.
- Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5 for the longest inputs: its context window holds 1M tokens against 205K for MiniMax M2.1.
- Choose Claude Sonnet 5.5 if you need structured outputs, image input and file input: MiniMax M2.1 does not list them.
- Not sure? Call both with the same OceanToken API key and compare them on your own prompts; each request is billed per use from one prepaid balance.
Get API Key MiniMax M2.1 Claude Sonnet 5.5
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper, MiniMax M2.1 or Claude Sonnet 5.5?
MiniMax M2.1. MiniMax M2.1 costs less per token than Claude Sonnet 5.5: $0.30 against $1.80 per 1M input tokens (83% less) and $1.20 against $9.00 per 1M output tokens (87% less). Claude Sonnet 5.5 is 10% off its official price on OceanToken, for every account. The OceanToken console always shows the current price.
Which has the larger context window, MiniMax M2.1 or Claude Sonnet 5.5?
Claude Sonnet 5.5. Claude Sonnet 5.5 has the larger context window: 1M tokens (1,000,000) against 205K (204,800) for MiniMax M2.1.
Can I call both MiniMax M2.1 and Claude Sonnet 5.5 with one API key?
Yes. Both are on the OceanToken API at https://api.oceantoken.ai/v1: one API key and one prepaid balance call either model. Send the model id minimax/minimax-m2.1 or anthropic/claude-sonnet-5.5.
Models and publishers
MiniMax M2.1 · Claude Sonnet 5.5 · All MiniMax models · All Anthropic models
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