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Head-to-head comparison

GPT-4o-mini vs Inkling Small

GPT-4o-mini (OpenAI) 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 #211); GPT-4o-mini is 2× cheaper per output token ($0.60/1M vs $1.20/1M); Inkling Small offers the longer context window (1M vs 128K tokens); and Inkling Small ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose GPT-4o-mini if…

  • API cost matters — $0.60/1M output tokens against $1.20/1M, about 2× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.15/1M against $0.45/1M.

Choose Inkling Small if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #42 against #211 (53.9 vs 0.0 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 128K.
  • you want to self-host: Inkling Small ships open weights while GPT-4o-mini is api only.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 2.
  • ARC-AGI-2 is your yardstick — 40.1% against 0.0%.
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 41.2 against 6.7.
  • AA Terminal-Bench 2.1 is your yardstick — 55.1% against 5.6%.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 33.3% against 4.2%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Inkling Small was listed 30 July 2026, GPT-4o-mini 18 July 2024.

GPT-4o-mini vs Inkling Small: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of GPT-4o-mini and Inkling Small
FieldGPT-4o-miniOpenAIInkling SmallThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#211#42
Index score0.053.9
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.15$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.60$1.20
Context window128K tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens16K262K
API providers listed23
Weight accessAPI onlyOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, Image, FileText, Image, Audio
First listed18 July 202430 July 2026
PublisherOpenAIThinking Machines

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 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: GPT-4o-mini vs Inkling Small

Public benchmark boards where GPT-4o-mini or Inkling Small has a published result
BoardGPT-4o-miniInkling SmallLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—14761467–1486Only one result
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 Analysis6.7intelligence-index41.2intelligence-indexInkling Small
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis5.6%terminal-bench-2.155.1%terminal-bench-2.1Inkling Small
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis4.2%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.

GPT-4o-mini vs Inkling Small: common questions

Is GPT-4o-mini better than Inkling Small?

Inkling Small ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #42 against #211. 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 GPT-4o-mini cheaper than Inkling Small?

GPT-4o-mini is cheaper on output tokens: $0.60/1M against $1.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.15/1M for GPT-4o-mini 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, GPT-4o-mini or Inkling Small?

Inkling Small has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 128K.

Which is better for coding, GPT-4o-mini or Inkling Small?

AA Terminal-Bench 2.1: GPT-4o-mini 5.6%, Inkling Small 55.1% — Inkling Small leads.

Are GPT-4o-mini and Inkling Small open-weight models?

GPT-4o-mini: API only. 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 GPT-4o-mini and Inkling Small?

ModelCap currently lists 2 API providers for GPT-4o-mini 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 GPT-4o-mini 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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