Part of Best LLM for Coding
Best Local LLM for Coding
Kimi K3 ranks first for Best Local LLM for Coding as of October 20, 2026.[1][2] It ranks #12 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1655), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is the next-ranked alternative. It scores 80.04% on LiveBench Coding (#18 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.
About this recommendation
- Updated
- Evidence through
- Sources
- 8
- Revision
- v118
Decision audit
Why this result
Inspect the inputs and the computed order behind the recommendation.
Models screened
24
live candidates
Evaluation feeds
5
task-weighted
Winner coverage
53%
intended feed weight
Largest provider share
3 of 8
Z.ai
MoonshotAI: Kimi K3 leads the measured task comparison with 2 independent evaluation families. Community volume, release age and usage popularity add no ranking points. This category also weights its stated price or context criteria.
Real-world track record is still developing. The recommendation can lead on independent measurements while practitioner reports accumulate.
Sources evaluated
These are the weights used in scoring. Missing measurements are omitted from each model’s average. A feed with no result for any model released in the last 60 days is stale and does not score until it catches up.
| Evaluation feed | Weight | Winner result | Field measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aider Polyglotstale | 0% | no current result | 0/24 |
| LiveBench Coding (2026-06-25)Observed 2026-10-18 · evaluation date not supplied · kimi-k3failing; last successful check 2026-10-18 | 44% | #12 | 13/24 |
| LMArena WebDevObserved 2026-10-19 · evaluation date not supplied · max effort | 36% | #12 | 22/24 |
| SWE-rebenchstale | 0% | no current result | 0/24 |
| price weight | 20% | 56/100 | 24/24 |
Provider concentration
Each exact model is scored separately; provider identity is not a ranking input.
- Z.ai3 models
- deepseek2 models
- Moonshot AI2 models
- Qwen1 model
Decision table
Every published model is shown in computed order. Practitioner sources are distinct community threads, not the citations repeated in the prose below.
Moonshot AI · coverage 53%
#12 LiveBench Coding · #12 LMArena WebDev
deepseek · coverage 53%
#18 LiveBench Coding · #20 LMArena WebDev
Z.ai · coverage 53%
#22 LiveBench Coding · #22 LMArena WebDev
Z.ai · coverage 53%
#19 LMArena WebDev · #22 LiveBench Coding
Z.ai · coverage 53%
#19 LiveBench Coding · #23 LMArena WebDev
Qwen · coverage 53%
#24 LMArena WebDev · #43 LiveBench Coding
deepseek · coverage 53%
#28 LMArena WebDev · #55 LiveBench Coding
Moonshot AI · coverage 53%
#46 LiveBench Coding · #49 LMArena WebDev
Task score averages the available, task-weighted measurements. Benchmark positions compare models matched to our catalog. Models measured by at least two independent evaluator families are considered first. Missing tests, practitioner report counts, popularity and release age add no points. Coverage describes evidence breadth, not a probability of correctness. Scores within two points are shown as close under this policy; this is not a statistical confidence interval. When the leading scores are that close, the model measured by more evaluator families ranks first.
- 01
Kimi K3Moonshot AI · $0.24 in / $11.94 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
Kimi K3 ranks #12 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1655), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena WebDev, which measures practical, real-world coding quality.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 02
DeepSeek V4.1 Flashdeepseek · $0.056 in / $0.12 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash scores 80.04% on LiveBench Coding (#18 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LiveBench Coding, which measures code generation and completion.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 03
GLM 5.3 FlashZ.ai · $0.047 in / $0.16 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
GLM 5.3 Flash ranks #22 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1607), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena WebDev, which measures practical, real-world coding quality.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 04
GLM 5.3Z.ai · $0.079 in / $1.40 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
GLM 5.3 ranks #19 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1621), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena WebDev, which measures practical, real-world coding quality.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
- 05
GLM 5.2Z.ai · $0.62 in / $2.42 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
GLM 5.2 scores 79.65% on LiveBench Coding (#19 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LiveBench Coding, which measures code generation and completion. - 06
Qwen3.8 27BQwen · $0.040 in / $1.35 out per M tokens · 1M context · open-weight
Qwen3.8 27B ranks #24 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1593), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena WebDev, which measures practical, real-world coding quality. - 07
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423deepseek · $0.091 in / $0.18 out per M tokens · 1.0M context · open-weight
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 ranks #28 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1582), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LMArena WebDev, which measures practical, real-world coding quality. - 08
Kimi K2.7 CodeMoonshot AI · $0.67 in / $3.35 out per M tokens · 262K context · open-weight
Kimi K2.7 Code scores 73.96% on LiveBench Coding (#46 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.
Best when: Its strongest result for this task is on LiveBench Coding, which measures code generation and completion.No practitioner reports are linked yet, so no cautions are listed. Absence of reports is not evidence of reliability.
Frequently asked
- What is the best model for Best Local LLM for Coding?
- Kimi K3 ranks first as of October 20, 2026. Kimi K3 ranks #12 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1655), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.[1]
- What is the best alternative to Kimi K3?
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash ranks second. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash scores 80.04% on LiveBench Coding (#18 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.[2]
- Can I self-host the top pick for Best Local LLM for Coding?
- Yes. Kimi K3 is open-weight, so it can run on your own hardware as well as through hosted routes.[1]
Sources
- 1
“Within the 99 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #12 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1655), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.”
LMArena WebDev (coding) arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 2
“Within the 59 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Scores 80.04% on LiveBench Coding (#18 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.”
LiveBench Coding · Benchmark · Oct 18, 2026 - 3
“Within the 99 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #22 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1607), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.”
LMArena WebDev (coding) arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 4
“Within the 99 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #19 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1621), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.”
LMArena WebDev (coding) arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 5
“Within the 59 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Scores 79.65% on LiveBench Coding (#19 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.”
LiveBench Coding · Benchmark · Oct 18, 2026 - 6
“Within the 99 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #24 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1593), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.”
LMArena WebDev (coding) arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 7
“Within the 99 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Ranks #28 of 99 on LMArena's WebDev coding arena (Elo 1582), a leaderboard built from blind human preference votes on coding tasks.”
LMArena WebDev (coding) arena · Benchmark · Oct 19, 2026 - 8
“Within the 59 catalog models matched to this evaluation: Scores 73.96% on LiveBench Coding (#46 of 59), an objective evaluation of code generation and completion.”
LiveBench Coding · Benchmark · Oct 18, 2026
Rankings synthesized from community evidence and open benchmarks. See methodology. Not driven by vendor marketing.