MiniMax M3 vs Solar Pro 4
Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)
MiniMax M3 (MiniMax) and Solar Pro 4 (Upstage), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 MiniMax M3 | Solar Pro 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | MiniMax | Upstage |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥53.61 | ¥5.28 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥214.44 | ¥21.11 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥161 | ¥16 |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Release date | 5/31/2026 | 8/10/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, video | text |
| Arena · overall | #78 · ELO 1,442 | #173 · ELO 1,376 |
| Arena · Japanese | #73 · ELO 1,402 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #64 · ELO 1,499 | #140 · ELO 1,448 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Solar Pro 4: ¥21.11 per 1M output tokens, 90% less than MiniMax M3.
- On the Overall arena board, MiniMax M3 ranks higher (#78; Solar Pro 4 is #173).
- On the Coding arena board, MiniMax M3 ranks higher (#64; Solar Pro 4 is #140).
- For long documents, MiniMax M3: a 1,048,576-token context window against 524,288 for Solar Pro 4.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
MiniMax M3
# Counting 'r's in "strawberry"
Let me go through the word letter by letter:
**s** - t - **r** - a - w - b - e - **r** - **r** - y
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | s | No |
| 2 | t | No |
| 3 | **r** | ✓ (1st) |
| 4 | a | No |
| 5 | w | No |
| 6 | b | No |
| 7 | e | No |
| 8 | **r** | ✓ (2nd) |
| 9 | **r** | ✓ (3rd) |
| 10 | y | No |
## Answer: **3**
The word "strawberry" contains **three 'r's** — one at position 3, and two consecutive 'r's at positions 8 and 9.
25.6s455 output tokens
Solar Pro 4
The word "strawberry" contains **3** 'r's. Here's the step-by-step breakdown:
1. **Spell out the word explicitly** to isolate each letter:
`s - t - r - a - w - b - e - r - r - y`
2. **Scan through the letters in order** and count every instance of the lowercase letter `r`:
- `s` → 0
- `t` → 0
- `r` → **1**
- `a` → 0
- `w` → 0
- `b` → 0
- `e` → 0
- `r` → **2**
- `r` → **3**
- `y` → 0
3. **Total the count**: The three `r`s appear at positions 3, 8, and 9 in the 10-letter word.
**Final count: 3**
11.4s215 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
MiniMax M3
# Error Analysis
The error `Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` tells you that **`users` is `undefined`** when your component runs. JavaScript can't call `.map()` on `undefined`, so it throws this error.
The component itself is fine syntactically — the problem is that the `users` prop isn't being passed, or hasn't loaded yet.
## Common Causes
**1. The prop isn't passed at all:**
```jsx
<UserList /> // No users prop → users is undefined
```
**2. Data is still loading (async fetch):**
```jsx
const [users, setUsers] = useState(); // undefined initially
```
**3. API returns undefined:**
```jsx
const { data } = await fetch('/api/users').then(r => r.json());
setUsers(data);…
32.8s710 output tokens
Solar Pro 4
### What's Causing the Error
The error `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that the `users` prop being passed to your `UserList` component is `undefined`. Since you're calling `.map()` directly on it, JavaScript throws an error because `undefined` doesn't have a `map` method.
This typically happens when:
- The parent component hasn't passed the `users` prop
- The prop is still loading (e.g., from an API call)
- The prop is conditionally undefined
---
### How to Fix It
You have a few options to handle this safely:
#### ✅ Option 1: Add a Default Prop Value (Recommended)
Provide a fallback empty array so `.map()` always has something to work with:
```j…
24.7s539 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
MiniMax M3
## Code Review
This function works for the happy path, but it has several issues around error handling, retries, and readability. Here's a breakdown.
### 🐛 Bugs & Correctness Issues
| # | Issue | Why It Matters |
|---|-------|----------------|
| 1 | `except:` with no exception type | Swallows `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and *everything else* (typos, `MemoryError`). You lose visibility into real failures. |
| 2 | Retries on every non‑200, including `4xx` | A `404` or `401` will never succeed by retrying — it just wastes time and rate-limit budget. |
| 3 | `if item["active"] == True` | Both linters (PEP 8 E712) and Python idiom prefer `if item["active"]:`. |
| 4 | `item["active"]` (…
33.4s3977 output tokens
Solar Pro 4
Here’s a breakdown of the issues in the original function, followed by a refactored version and a detailed explanation of the improvements.
### 🔍 Key Issues in the Original Code
| Area | Problem |
|------|---------|
| **Import organization** | `import` inside the function is evaluated on every call. Imports should live at the top of the module. |
| **Exception handling** | Bare `except:` catches `SystemExit`, `KeyboardInterrupt`, and other fatal errors. Always catch specific exceptions (`requests.RequestException`). |
| **Loose equality** | `== True` is redundant and can cause subtle bugs. Use `if item["active"]:` or `.get()`. |
| **HTTP status handling** | Calling `.json()` only on `200`…
17.5s1172 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or Solar Pro 4?
- Per 1M output tokens, MiniMax M3 is ¥214.44 and Solar Pro 4 is ¥21.11 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Solar Pro 4 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of MiniMax M3 and Solar Pro 4 compare?
- MiniMax M3 takes 1,048,576 tokens; Solar Pro 4 takes 524,288.
- Which ranks higher, MiniMax M3 or Solar Pro 4?
- MiniMax M3 ranks higher on the public arena (MiniMax M3 #73, Solar Pro 4 #173). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use MiniMax M3 and Solar Pro 4 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "minimax-m3" or "solar-pro4" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call MiniMax M3 and Solar Pro 4 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.