MiniMax M3.1 Flash in practice: tests and comparisons with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash

A developer says DeepSeek V4.1 Flash produces vulnerable code in critical areas like authentication, GLM-5.3 finds flaws but writes insecure code, and Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol and MiniMax M3.1 Flash clearly do better there.

A developer reports these models are frontier-level for everyday tasks and swaps to M3.1 and others whenever Claude or GPT hits quota limits.

On the same Blender Attack on Titan Shiganshina prompt, the author found M3.1 Flash better on building, cloud and wall detail and overall look, with GLM 5.3 Flash also solid; both cost under $5.

On a paper-and-fabric bending test, M3.1 Flash kept structure, texture and motion best; DeepSeek showed sharp folds, Opus's paper was too soft, GLM too rigid, and M3.1 Flash had the best token value.

A user posts a comparison image and says GLM 5.3 Flash can no longer match MiniMax M3.1 Flash, urging GLM to ship its next model.

The author argues the 'open models are 10x cheaper' claim no longer holds: cost per task is $0.21 for Haiku 5.5, $0.22 for M3.1 Flash and $0.28 for GLM-5.3-Flash, and notes M3.1 Flash has a 93% hallucination rate on AA-Omniscience.

On the same prompt GLM 5.3 Prime took 20 minutes for $2 while M3.1 Flash took 30 minutes for $0.4, which the author calls a strong showing for the price.

Modeling a 120:1 input-output ratio, M3.1 Flash is 13–40% cheaper than DeepSeek at peak when cache hit rate is under 97.4%, breaks even near 97.5%, and is cheaper than GLM-5.3-Flash in most cases.

A user reports M3.1 Flash worked nonstop for 6 hours with correct tool and sub-agent use, delivering a cleaner Rust GUI rewrite of a Vue.js page that GLM-5.3 Flash failed.

A developer reruns the same tests on the stealth and official versions, finding huge gains with old issues gone, now on par with GLM-5.3-Flash and better than the first DeepSeek V4.1 Flash.

Same-prompt comparison: M3.1 Flash finished in 48 minutes during its free opencode window, while GLM 5.3 Flash took 1 hour 6 minutes and $3.20; the author found M3.1 Flash more interactive, cleaner in UI and 18 minutes faster.

On the updated Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, M3.1 Flash scores 42, MiniMax's best yet, level with GLM-5.3-Flash and 2 points behind Kimi K3; it beats the September DeepSeek V4.1 Flash but trails the current 1017 version.