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Head-to-head comparison

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Inkling Small

Qwen3 Coder Next (Qwen) 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 #85); Qwen3 Coder Next is 1.5× cheaper per output token ($0.80/1M vs $1.20/1M); and Inkling Small offers the longer context window (524K vs 262K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Qwen3 Coder Next if…

  • API cost matters — $0.80/1M output tokens against $1.20/1M, about 1.5× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.12/1M against $0.45/1M.
  • you want provider choice — 4 listed API providers against 2.

Choose Inkling Small if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #31 against #85 (58.9 vs 27.6 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 524K tokens against 262K.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 41.2 against 21.3.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Inkling Small was listed 30 July 2026, Qwen3 Coder Next 4 February 2026.

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Inkling Small: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Qwen3 Coder Next and Inkling Small
FieldQwen3 Coder NextQwenInkling SmallThinking Machines
ModelCap Index position#85#31
Index score27.658.9
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.12$0.45
Output price / 1M tokens$0.80$1.20
Context window262K tokens524K tokens
Max output tokens262K262K
API providers listed42
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesTextText, Image, Audio
First listed4 February 202630 July 2026
PublisherQwenThinking Machines

Evidence: 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Qwen3 Coder Next vs Inkling Small

Public benchmark boards where Qwen3 Coder Next or Inkling Small has a published result
BoardQwen3 Coder NextInkling SmallLeads
ARC-AGI-2ARC Prize Foundation—40.1%X-HighOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis21.3intelligence-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.

Qwen3 Coder Next vs Inkling Small: common questions

Is Qwen3 Coder Next better than Inkling Small?

Inkling Small ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 August 2026: #31 against #85. 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 Qwen3 Coder Next cheaper than Inkling Small?

Qwen3 Coder Next is cheaper on output tokens: $0.80/1M against $1.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.12/1M for Qwen3 Coder Next 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, Qwen3 Coder Next or Inkling Small?

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

Which is better for coding, Qwen3 Coder Next 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 Qwen3 Coder Next and Inkling Small open-weight models?

Qwen3 Coder Next: 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 Qwen3 Coder Next and Inkling Small?

ModelCap currently lists 4 API providers for Qwen3 Coder Next 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 Qwen3 Coder Next 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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