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Head-to-head comparison

Llama 4 Scout vs Inkling Small

Llama 4 Scout (Meta) 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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, Inkling Small holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#42 vs #172); Llama 4 Scout is 4× cheaper per output token ($0.30/1M vs $1.20/1M); Llama 4 Scout offers the longer context window (1.3M vs 1M tokens); and Inkling Small ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Llama 4 Scout if…

  • API cost matters — $0.30/1M output tokens against $1.20/1M, about 4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.10/1M against $0.45/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1.3M tokens against 1M.

Choose Inkling Small if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #42 against #172 (53.9 vs 21.3 points).
  • you want to self-host: Inkling Small ships open weights while Llama 4 Scout is gated access.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1476 against 1362.
  • ARC-AGI-2 is your yardstick — 40.1% against 0.0%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 41.2 against 10.3.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 55.1% against 3.7%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 33.3% against 3.8%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Inkling Small was listed 30 July 2026, Llama 4 Scout 5 April 2025.

Llama 4 Scout vs Inkling Small: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Llama 4 Scout and Inkling Small
FieldLlama 4 ScoutMetaInkling SmallThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#172#42
Index score21.353.9
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.10$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.30$1.20
Context window1.3M tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens16K262K
API providers listed33
Weight accessGated accessOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, ImageText, Image, Audio
First listed5 April 202530 July 2026
PublisherMetaThinking Machines

Evidence: 4 public benchmark observations across 4 boards · 5 public benchmark observations across 5 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Llama 4 Scout vs Inkling Small

Public benchmark boards where Llama 4 Scout or Inkling Small has a published result
BoardLlama 4 ScoutInkling SmallLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13621354–137114761467–1486Inkling Small
LMArena AgentLMArena—-5.3%-7.1%–-3.5%Only one result
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation0.0%40.1%X-HighInkling Small
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis10.3intelligence-index41.2intelligence-indexInkling Small
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis3.7%terminal-bench-2.155.1%terminal-bench-2.1Inkling Small
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis15.5%tau2-bench-telecom—Only one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis3.8%humanitys-last-exam33.3%humanitys-last-examInkling 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.

Llama 4 Scout vs Inkling Small: common questions

Is Llama 4 Scout better than Inkling Small?

Inkling Small ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #42 against #172. 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 Llama 4 Scout cheaper than Inkling Small?

Llama 4 Scout is cheaper on output tokens: $0.30/1M against $1.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.10/1M for Llama 4 Scout 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, Llama 4 Scout or Inkling Small?

Llama 4 Scout has the larger context window: 1.3M tokens against 1M.

Which is better for coding, Llama 4 Scout or Inkling Small?

Arena coding: Llama 4 Scout 1362, Inkling Small 1476 — Inkling Small leads. AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: Llama 4 Scout 3.7%, Inkling Small 55.1% — Inkling Small leads.

Are Llama 4 Scout and Inkling Small open-weight models?

Llama 4 Scout: 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 Llama 4 Scout and Inkling Small?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for Llama 4 Scout and 3 for Inkling Small, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Llama 4 Scout vs Inkling Small 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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