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Head-to-head comparison

Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling

Gemini 3.8 Flash (Google) and Inkling (Thinking Machines) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Gemini 3.8 Flash holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#11 vs #27); Gemini 3.8 Flash is cheaper per output token ($3.75/1M vs $4.05/1M); and Inkling ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #11 against #27 (76.4 vs 63.5 points).
  • API cost matters — $3.75/1M output tokens against $4.05/1M.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.75/1M against $1.00/1M.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 58.7 against 42.3.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 87.6% against 55.1%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 47.8% against 31.9%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Gemini 3.8 Flash was listed 2 September 2026, Inkling 17 July 2026.

Choose Inkling if…

  • you want to self-host: Inkling ships open weights while Gemini 3.8 Flash is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 2.

Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling
FieldGemini 3.8 FlashGoogleInklingThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#11#27
Index score76.463.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.75$1.00
Output price / 1M tokens$3.75$4.05
Context window1M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens66K472K
API providers listed23
Weight accessAPI onlyOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, File, AudioText, Image, Audio
First listed2 September 202617 July 2026
PublisherGoogleThinking Machines

Evidence: 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board · 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling

Public benchmark boards where Gemini 3.8 Flash or Inkling has a published result
BoardGemini 3.8 FlashInklingLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—14901482–1498Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena—-7.0%-8.1%–-5.9%Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—36.5%Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis58.7intelligence-index42.3intelligence-indexGemini 3.8 Flash
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis87.6%terminal-bench-2.155.1%terminal-bench-2.1Gemini 3.8 Flash
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis47.8%humanitys-last-exam31.9%humanitys-last-examGemini 3.8 Flash

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling: common questions

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash better than Inkling?

Gemini 3.8 Flash ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #11 against #27. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash cheaper than Inkling?

Gemini 3.8 Flash is cheaper on output tokens: $3.75/1M against $4.05/1M. Input tokens are $0.75/1M for Gemini 3.8 Flash and $1.00/1M for Inkling. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemini 3.8 Flash or Inkling?

Both publish a 1M-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemini 3.8 Flash or Inkling?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Gemini 3.8 Flash 87.6%, Inkling 55.1% — Gemini 3.8 Flash leads.

Are Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling open-weight models?

Gemini 3.8 Flash: API only. Inkling: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3 for Inkling, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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