Ember-1 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax M3.1 Flash leads Ember-1 on coding, 59.0 to 52.6 on the Vibe Coding Index, and MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs 25.0x less per output token ($0.60 vs $15.00 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 4 benchmarks have a result for both.
Ember-1 or MiniMax M3.1 Flash: which to pick
Pick MiniMax M3.1 Flash for coding: it scores 59.0 on the Vibe Coding Index against 52.6 for Ember-1.
Pick Ember-1 for a larger context window (1.05M against 1M tokens) and work measured by Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) or Legal Research Bench (Vals AI), where it leads.
- Shared results
- 4
- Ember-1 only
- 10
- MiniMax M3.1 Flash only
- 16
- Like-for-like categories
- 2 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
MiniMax M3.1 Flash scores 59.0 against 52.6.
2 and 4 benchmarks behind the scores
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash has a AA Intelligence Index result, 42.7.
Directional only
General
Vals Index
No call
Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash has a Vals Index result, 53.8%.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Ember-1
Ember-1 takes 1.05M tokens against 1M.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash
Ember-1 $0.011, MiniMax M3.1 Flash $0.0004 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Ember-1 52.6 from 2 benchmarks, MiniMax M3.1 Flash 59.0 from 4 benchmarks.
- Widest category
- Coding, 8.0 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- Legal Research Bench (Vals AI): Ember-1 44.7% against MiniMax M3.1 Flash 34.1%, 10.6 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Ember-1 $15.00 against MiniMax M3.1 Flash $0.60 per million output tokens, 25.0x apart.
- Context window
- Ember-1 takes 1.05M tokens, MiniMax M3.1 Flash 1M.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Ember-1 | Bars | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 1 | 1 | ||
| Agentic work | 1 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 2 | 2 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index11
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench coding | Not measured | 83.9% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LMArena WebDev | Not measured | 1587 | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Terminal-Bench 4 (Vals AI) | 20.7% | 25.3% | MiniMax M3.1 Flash |
| Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) | 83.9% | 73.9% | Ember-1 |
| Code migration (Vals AI) | 32.5% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| IOI (Vals AI) | 46.3% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| CyberBench (Vals AI) | 69.5% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| SciCode | Not measured | 53.4% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LMArena WebDev: React | Not measured | 1609 | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LMArena WebDev: HTML | Not measured | 1529 | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 33 boards here | |||
IntelligenceDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | Not measured | 42.7 | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index11
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench research | Not measured | 72.7% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LiveBench browser | Not measured | 92.0% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LiveBench long agentic | Not measured | 34.7% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Finance Agent (Vals AI) | 51.8% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Tax Agent Bench (Vals AI) | 31.1% | 32.1% | MiniMax M3.1 Flash |
| Legal Research Bench (Vals AI) | 44.7% | 34.1% | Ember-1 |
| Harvey's Legal Agent Benchmark (Vals AI) | Not measured | 7.5% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Excel Modeling Benchmark (Vals AI) | 63.4% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| BioMysteryBench (Vals AI) | 67.0% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Terminal-Bench-Science (Vals AI) | 5.7% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Vals Science Index | 31.8% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 31 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench reasoning | Not measured | 82.9% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| MysteryMechanism (Vals AI) | 22.5% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 48.0% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 14 boards here | |||
KnowledgeNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 20 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench design | Not measured | 74.0% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 8 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vals Index | Not measured | 53.8% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| LiveBench data analysis | Not measured | 71.4% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Public Benefits Bench (Vals AI) | 66.2% | Not measured | Only Ember-1 measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 79.7% | Only MiniMax M3.1 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 44 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Fireworks Ember-1 | MiniMax M3.1 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Fireworks | MiniMax |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | September 24, 2026 | October 19, 2026 |
| Context window | 1.05M | 1M |
| Input $/Mtok | $3.00 | $0.15 |
| Output $/Mtok | $15.00 | $0.60 |
| Coding index | 52.6 | 59.0 |
| Independent measurements behind it | 2 | 4 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Ember-1 better than MiniMax M3.1 Flash for coding?
Pick MiniMax M3.1 Flash for coding: it scores 59.0 on the Vibe Coding Index against 52.6 for Ember-1. Pick Ember-1 for a larger context window (1.05M against 1M tokens) and work measured by Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) or Legal Research Bench (Vals AI), where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Ember-1 or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
Ember-1 costs $3.00 per million input tokens and $15.00 per million output tokens; MiniMax M3.1 Flash costs $0.15 and $0.60. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Ember-1 or MiniMax M3.1 Flash?
Ember-1, with 1.05M tokens against 1M.
How many benchmarks is the Ember-1 vs MiniMax M3.1 Flash comparison based on?
4 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Ember-1's coding index rests on 2 independent benchmarks and MiniMax M3.1 Flash's on 4. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.