Kimi Coding Plan vs Kimi API - Which is Right for You?

Compare subscription-based Kimi coding assistants with pay-as-you-go Kimi API access. Learn pricing, features, and which option saves money for developers.

What is Kimi Coding Plan?

Kimi offers two ways to access its AI coding capabilities: subscription-based Coding Plans (similar to GitHub Copilot) and direct API access (Kimi K2.5 API). Coding Plans provide IDE integrations and unlimited usage for a fixed monthly fee, while the API offers flexible pay-as-you-go pricing at 40% of official rates.

Subscription Plans

Monthly or annual subscriptions with unlimited AI completions in supported IDEs (VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains).

API Access

Pay only for what you use with Kimi K2.5 API. No monthly fees, transparent token-based pricing at ¥8/million tokens.

Integration Options

Coding Plans: Built-in IDE plugins. API: Bring-your-own-integration using OpenAI SDK and custom tools.

Kimi Coding Plan Pricing Tiers

Basic Plan

¥99/month/month

  • ✓Single-line code completions
  • ✓Basic error detection
  • ✓Limited to 1 IDE
  • ✓500 completions/day cap
  • ✓Standard response time
POPULAR

Pro Plan

¥299/month/month

  • ✓Multi-line completions
  • ✓Advanced refactoring
  • ✓All IDEs supported
  • ✓Unlimited completions
  • ✓Priority response time
  • ✓Web search integration

API Access (Pay-as-you-go)

¥8/M tokens/month

  • ✗No monthly fees
  • ✓Custom integrations
  • ✓All Kimi models (K2.5, moonshot-v1)
  • ✓200K context window
  • ✓OpenAI SDK compatible
  • ✓File processing & web search

Kimi Coding Plan vs Competitors

FeatureKimi Pro PlanGitHub CopilotGoogle Gemini API
Monthly Cost¥299¥79 ($10)Free tier + usage
IDE SupportVS Code, Cursor, JetBrainsVS Code, JetBrains, NeovimAPI only
Context Window200K tokens8K tokens2M tokens
Chinese CodeExcellentGoodGood
API AccessSeparate pricingNo APINative
Pay-as-you-go OptionYes (¥8/M tokens)NoYes (¥7/M tokens)

When to Use Coding Plan vs Kimi API

Cost comparison based on monthly usage for a typical developer:

Monthly UsageCoding Plan CostOur Proxy Cost (40% off)You Save
~5M tokens/month (~1000 completions)¥99-299¥40Use Kimi API - save 60-86%
~20M tokens/month (~4000 completions)¥299¥160Use Kimi API - save 46%
~50M tokens/month (~10000 completions)¥299¥400Use Coding Plan - save 25%
~200M tokens/month¥2990 (10 × ¥299)¥1600Use Kimi API - save 46%

Why Choose Kimi API Over Coding Plans

60-86% cost savings for light-to-medium users compared to subscription plans

No vendor lock-in - integrate with any IDE or tool using OpenAI SDK

Access to all Kimi models (K2.5, moonshot-v1, Vision) with single API key

Pay only for what you use - no wasted spend on unused subscription

Get Kimi API Key at 40% Off

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Kimi API with GitHub Copilot?

No, GitHub Copilot doesn't support custom API endpoints. Use Cursor, Continue.dev, or VS Code extensions that support OpenAI-compatible APIs.

Does Kimi API support code completions like Copilot?

Kimi API provides chat completions, not inline completions. However, tools like Cursor and Continue.dev can convert chat responses to inline suggestions.

Which is cheaper for a team of 5 developers?

For typical usage (10-15M tokens/developer/month), Kimi API costs ¥400-600 total vs ¥1495 for 5 Pro Plan subscriptions - saving 60-73%.

Can I switch from Coding Plan to API later?

Yes, there's no lock-in. Cancel your subscription anytime and switch to pay-as-you-go API access.

Does Kimi API have rate limits?

Default: 60 requests/minute, 10,000 tokens/request. Contact us for higher limits for enterprise use.

Is Kimi API as fast as Coding Plan completions?

Response time is similar (~1-2 seconds). Coding Plans may feel faster due to pre-caching in IDE plugins.

Can I use Kimi API for non-coding tasks?

Yes! Kimi K2.5 API supports text generation, vision, file processing, and web search - not just coding.

Related Resources

Kimi K2.5 API

Learn about the model powering both Coding Plans and API

Read more

API Pricing

Transparent pay-as-you-go pricing at ¥8/million tokens

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Get API Key

Obtain your Kimi API key in 72 hours

Read more

Kimi Code Integration

Set up Kimi API in VS Code, Cursor, and other IDEs

Read more

Kimi CLI

Use Kimi API from the command line

Read more

API Documentation

Complete API reference and integration guides

Read more

Try Kimi API Risk-Free

Get your API key at 40% off and pay only for what you use - no subscriptions