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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3n 4B vs Inkling Small

Gemma 3n 4B (Google) and Inkling Small (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 18 August 2026

As of 18 August 2026, Inkling Small holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#31 vs #174); Gemma 3n 4B is 10× cheaper per output token ($0.12/1M vs $1.20/1M); Inkling Small offers the longer context window (524K vs 33K tokens); and Inkling Small ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3n 4B if…

  • API cost matters — $0.12/1M output tokens against $1.20/1M, about 10× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.06/1M against $0.45/1M.

Choose Inkling Small if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #31 against #174 (58.9 vs 20.4 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 524K tokens against 33K.
  • you want to self-host: Inkling Small ships open weights while Gemma 3n 4B is gated access.
  • you want provider choice — 2 listed API providers against 1.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Inkling Small was listed 30 July 2026, Gemma 3n 4B 20 May 2025.

Gemma 3n 4B vs Inkling Small: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3n 4B and Inkling Small
FieldGemma 3n 4BGoogleInkling SmallThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#174#31
Index score20.458.9
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.06$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.12$1.20
Context window33K tokens524K tokens
Max output tokens—262K
API providers listed12
Weight accessGated accessOpen weights
Input modalitiesTextText, Image, Audio
First listed20 May 202530 July 2026
PublisherGoogleThinking Machines

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3n 4B vs Inkling Small

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3n 4B or Inkling Small has a published result
BoardGemma 3n 4BInkling SmallLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13081298–1318—Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—40.1%X-HighOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis—41.2intelligence-indexOnly one result

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.

Gemma 3n 4B vs Inkling Small: common questions

Is Gemma 3n 4B better than Inkling Small?

Inkling Small ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 August 2026: #31 against #174. 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 Gemma 3n 4B cheaper than Inkling Small?

Gemma 3n 4B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.12/1M against $1.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.06/1M for Gemma 3n 4B and $0.45/1M for Inkling Small. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3n 4B or Inkling Small?

Inkling Small has the larger context window: 524K tokens against 33K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3n 4B or Inkling Small?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Gemma 3n 4B and Inkling Small open-weight models?

Gemma 3n 4B: Gated access. Inkling Small: 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 Gemma 3n 4B and Inkling Small?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Gemma 3n 4B and 2 for Inkling Small, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 3n 4B vs Inkling Small comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 18 August 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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