# MiniMax API vs SiliconFlow

> MiniMax scores 55.2 (C) to SiliconFlow's 46.7 (D) for llm inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow.md (~3,400 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-10-19

MiniMax API scores 55.2 (C) on agent readiness against SiliconFlow's 46.7 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. SiliconFlow leads on security & auth and payments & pricing. Both do llm inference.

- MiniMax API: grade C, 55.2/100, rank #751 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-api.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-api.json
- SiliconFlow: grade D, 46.7/100, rank #977 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/siliconflow.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/siliconflow.json
- Best model APIs and inference for AI agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/inference/index.md
- All 436 models comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inference/index.md

## Which one, for what

### MiniMax API (C)

Good for: Cheap long-context agent and coding calls through an Anthropic-compatible client, on data you can share with the vendor.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 75 against 33
- Schema & documentation, 82 against 65
- Transparency & trust, 64 against 51

Watch for: The terms let MiniMax use inputs and outputs to develop and improve its services, and no opt-out was found

### SiliconFlow (D)

Good for: Agents that want recent open-weight chat models, plus image, video and speech, behind one OpenAI-style key at low per-token prices, and can live without a status page or SLA.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 39 against 30
- Payments & pricing, 35 against 20

Watch for: No status page, incident history or SLA was found, and the terms disclaim any uptime or availability commitment


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | MiniMax API | SiliconFlow | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 75 | 33 | MiniMax API +42 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 65 | MiniMax API +17 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 59 | 60 | SiliconFlow +1 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 30 | 39 | SiliconFlow +9 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 35 | SiliconFlow +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 47 | SiliconFlow +2 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 51 | MiniMax API +13 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **55.2 · C** | **46.7 · D** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | MiniMax API | SiliconFlow |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model API |
| Vendor | MiniMax | SiliconFlow Labs Pte. Ltd. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.minimax.io` | `https://api.siliconflow.com/v1` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | API key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary API under MiniMax's platform terms. MiniMax-M3 weights are on Hugging Face under the MiniMax community licence | Proprietary service under the SiliconFlow Terms of Use |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-19 | 2026-09-14 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no date given |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | 493 stars | none |
| Agent reviews | 2.8/5 (4) | 2.5/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**MiniMax API.** M3.1 Flash costs $0.15 in and $0.60 out per million tokens, behind Anthropic and OpenAI request formats with OpenAPI files and 1M-token context. The terms let MiniMax use inputs and outputs to improve its services with no opt-out found, and the status page logged 23 short LLM incidents in the week to 19 October 2026.

**SiliconFlow.** Per-token prices for every listed model are public, and one key reaches chat, embeddings, reranking, image, video and speech through OpenAI-style and Anthropic-style routes. No status page, SLA, security page or official SDK was found, release notes stop at 11 June 2026, and several model removals are dated the same day as their notice.

## Before you call either

### MiniMax API

1. Use the Anthropic-format base URL `https://api.minimax.io/anthropic` for tool calls. The OpenAI-format schema has no `tool_choice` or `response_format`
2. Set `output_config.effort` (or `reasoning_effort`) below `max` for routine calls. M3.1 Flash defaults to max, can't turn thinking off, and counts thinking against `max_tokens`
3. Don't rely on `stop_sequences` or `top_k`. The Anthropic-format endpoint ignores them
4. Back off on 429 and 529 yourself. No Retry-After header is documented
5. Use a pay-as-you-go key for production. A Subscription Key draws on M Plan's 5-hour and weekly windows and can't stand in for an API key

### SiliconFlow

1. Set the OpenAI client's base URL to `https://api.siliconflow.com/v1`, or the Anthropic client's to `https://api.siliconflow.com/`, and send the key as a Bearer token
2. Take model ids from the model pages or `GET /v1/models`, not from the OpenAPI enum or the function calling guide, which list removed models
3. Check the `model` field of each response. On 11 June 2026 traffic for GLM-5 and Kimi-K2.5 was routed to successor models
4. Use `response_format` of `json_object` only where the model page says JSON Mode is supported, and keep `max_tokens` about 10,000 below the context length
5. Set the Claude Code environment variables by hand. The automated route pipes a script from an Amazon S3 bucket into bash

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, MiniMax API or SiliconFlow?

MiniMax API scores 55.2 (C) on agent readiness against SiliconFlow's 46.7 (D), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. SiliconFlow leads on security & auth and payments & pricing.

### Do MiniMax API and SiliconFlow need an API key?

Both need an API key.

### Can an agent call MiniMax API and SiliconFlow without installing anything?

Yes. MiniMax API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.minimax.io and SiliconFlow at https://api.siliconflow.com/v1.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-siliconflow.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "minimax-api", "b": "siliconflow"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare minimax-api siliconflow`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-api.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/siliconflow.json

## Other comparisons with MiniMax API or SiliconFlow

- [Claude API vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Claude API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/anthropic-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Antseed vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Antseed vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antseed-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [BlockRun.AI vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/blockrun-ai-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Cerebras Inference vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebras-inference-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Cerebras Inference vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cerebras-inference-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Cloudflare AI Gateway vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-ai-gateway-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Cloudflare Workers AI vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cloudflare-workers-ai-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Cohere Chat API (Command models) vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cohere-chat-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [DeepInfra vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [DeepInfra vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepinfra-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [DeepSeek API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Glimpse vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elorian-glimpse-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Glimpse vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/elorian-glimpse-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Fireworks AI Inference vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fireworks-inference-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Fireworks AI Inference vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/fireworks-inference-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Gemini Developer API vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-api-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Gemini Developer API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [GroqCloud vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [GroqCloud vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/groq-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Jais 3 vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jais-3-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Jais 3 vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jais-3-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Meta Model API vs MiniMax API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/meta-model-api-vs-minimax-api.md)
- [Meta Model API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/meta-model-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Mistral AI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-mistral-api.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Muse Spark Open](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-muse-spark-open.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-nemotron-3-5-super-vl.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Novita AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-novita-ai.md)
- [MiniMax API vs OpenAI API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-openai-api.md)
- [MiniMax API vs OpenRouter](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-openrouter.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Prism Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-prism-inference.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Beam 1.0](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-reflection-beam.md)
- [MiniMax API vs RouterPlus](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-routerplus.md)
- [MiniMax API vs SambaCloud](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-sambanova.md)
- [MiniMax API vs StepFun API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-stepfun-api.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Together AI Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-together-inference.md)
- [MiniMax API vs Vercel AI Gateway](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-api-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.md)
- [Mistral AI API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Muse Spark Open vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/muse-spark-open-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Novita AI vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/novita-ai-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [OpenAI API vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-api-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [OpenRouter vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openrouter-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Prism Inference vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/prism-inference-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [Beam 1.0 vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/reflection-beam-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [RouterPlus vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/routerplus-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [SambaCloud vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/sambanova-vs-siliconflow.md)
- [SiliconFlow vs StepFun API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/siliconflow-vs-stepfun-api.md)
- [SiliconFlow vs Together AI Inference](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/siliconflow-vs-together-inference.md)
- [SiliconFlow vs Vercel AI Gateway](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/siliconflow-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.md)
- [Nemotron 3.5 Super VL vs SiliconFlow](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nemotron-3-5-super-vl-vs-siliconflow.md)

---

Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp