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MiniMax: MiniMax M3 vs ScaleDown Extract

Try both on us. Starter credit covers your first requests, then one key routes MiniMax M3 and ScaleDown Extract. Switch by changing the model name.

Compare routesProviders, price, context, and policy posture in one view.

Use auto when uptime mattersKeep a primary model and let fallback handle provider failures.

Same API shapeUse the OpenAI client and set the model you want.

Practical read

Monthly evidence

MiniMax: MiniMax M3 has more Credits provider routes and the larger context window. ScaleDown Extract has the lower published input-plus-output rate and the lower measured p50 time to first token.

$1.25545/1MMiniMax: MiniMax M3 cheapest route

$0.05275/1MScaleDown Extract cheapest route

1653 msMiniMax: MiniMax M3 fastest measured p50 TTFT via lyceum

1503 msScaleDown Extract fastest measured p50 TTFT via scaledown

The price comparison adds each route's rate for one million input tokens and one million output tokens; your cost depends on your input/output mix. Prices and live route measurements can change. Use the monthly reports when you need a stable evidence window, then run a small task-specific eval before choosing a production default.

MiniMax: MiniMax M3ScaleDown Extract

Model idminimax/minimax-m3scaledown/extract

Publisher MiniMax ScaleDown

AI IQ IQ 115#55 —

Context1,048,576 tokens1,000,000 tokens

Credits provider routes151

Cheapest route$1.25545/1M$0.05275/1M

Cached input$0.05275/1M to $0.2532/1MNot published

Privacy posturehas ZDR routehas ZDR route

Fastest measured p50 TTFT1653 ms via lyceum1503 ms via scaledown

Highest measured throughput258 tok/s via fireworksnot enough data

Recent route uptime range100.00%100.00%

Modes chat chat

MiniMax: MiniMax M3 routes

Overview15 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
BenchmarksTrustedRouter and external sources
ProvidersAll serving providers

ScaleDown Extract routes

Overview1 Credits routes

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Production choice

Pick a default model. Keep fallback enabled.

TrustedRouter is useful when you know the model you want, but still need provider rollover, budget limits, usage records, and a prompt path you can verify.

OpenAI clientPython

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.trustedrouter.com/v1",
    api_key="sk-tr-v1-..."
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="minimax/minimax-m3",
    messages=messages,
)

Questions

Which should I use, MiniMax: MiniMax M3 or ScaleDown Extract?

MiniMax: MiniMax M3 has more Credits provider routes and the larger context window. ScaleDown Extract has the lower published input-plus-output rate and the lower measured p50 time to first token.

Is MiniMax: MiniMax M3 or ScaleDown Extract cheaper?

The current cheapest TrustedRouter route is $1.25545/1M for MiniMax: MiniMax M3 and $0.05275/1M for ScaleDown Extract. The comparison uses current catalog prices and updates as provider pricing changes.

Is MiniMax: MiniMax M3 or ScaleDown Extract faster?

Current measured p50 time to first token is 1653 ms for MiniMax: MiniMax M3 and 1503 ms for ScaleDown Extract. These are routed probe measurements, not vendor-advertised speeds, and update as new samples arrive.

Can I test MiniMax: MiniMax M3 and ScaleDown Extract with the same API?

Yes. Use the same OpenAI-compatible TrustedRouter base URL and API key, then change only the model id between minimax/minimax-m3 and scaledown/extract. This makes side-by-side evals possible without maintaining two provider integrations.