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Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 4 31B vs Inkling Small

Gemma 4 31B (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 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Gemma 4 31B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#30 vs #31); Gemma 4 31B is 3.5× cheaper per output token ($0.34/1M vs $1.20/1M); and Inkling Small offers the longer context window (524K vs 262K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 4 31B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #30 against #31 (60.0 vs 58.8 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.34/1M output tokens against $1.20/1M, about 3.5× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.10/1M against $0.45/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 16 listed API providers against 2.

Choose Inkling Small if…

  • you need the longer context window — 524K tokens against 262K.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 41.2 against 29.7.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Inkling Small was listed 30 July 2026, Gemma 4 31B 2 April 2026.

Gemma 4 31B vs Inkling Small: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 4 31B and Inkling Small
FieldGemma 4 31BGoogleInkling SmallThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#30#31
Index score60.058.8
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.10$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.34$1.20
Context window262K tokens524K tokens
Max output tokens262K262K
API providers listed162
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesImage, Text, VideoText, Image, Audio
First listed2 April 202630 July 2026
PublisherGoogleThinking Machines

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 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 4 31B vs Inkling Small

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 4 31B or Inkling Small has a published result
BoardGemma 4 31BInkling SmallLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)14991483–1514Only one result
LMArena AgentLMArena-18.9%-21.7%–-16.0%Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation40.1%X-HighOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis29.7intelligence-index41.2intelligence-indexInkling Small

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 4 31B vs Inkling Small: common questions

Is Gemma 4 31B better than Inkling Small?

Gemma 4 31B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #30 against #31. 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 4 31B cheaper than Inkling Small?

Gemma 4 31B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.34/1M against $1.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.10/1M for Gemma 4 31B 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 4 31B or Inkling Small?

Inkling Small has the larger context window: 524K tokens against 262K.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 4 31B 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 4 31B and Inkling Small open-weight models?

Gemma 4 31B: Open weights. 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 4 31B and Inkling Small?

ModelCap currently lists 16 API providers for Gemma 4 31B 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 4 31B vs Inkling Small comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 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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