Thinking Machines: Inkling Small
The Thinking Machines Inkling Small is a versatile AI model capable of handling text, images, and audio inputs with a context length of 524,288 tokens. It supports reasoning and tools integration but does not generate structured output. With a benchmark blended score of 69.1 across three independent benchmarks, it excels in coding tasks but lags in agentic benchmarks. For those seeking an all-purpose model with reasonable pricing at $0.45 per million input tokens and $1.2 per million output tokens, the Inkling Small could be a solid choice. Its balanced performance makes it particularly suitable for projects requiring multi-modal data processing, though its lower standing in agentic tasks might limit its use cases there.
Benchmark results
Independent, published benchmarks. Blended score 69.1 across 3 benchmarks, last refreshed 2026-08-13. How scoring works →
| Benchmark | Measures | Score |
|---|---|---|
| AI Index | broad capability composite | 67.9 |
| AI Index Coding | software engineering tasks | 87.4 |
| AI Index Agentic | multi-step tool-using tasks | 52.6 |
- Model ID
- thinkingmachines/inkling-small
- Vendor
- thinkingmachines
- Released
- July 2026
- Tokenizer
- Other
- Input Modalities
- text, image, audio
- Output Modalities
- text
- Max Output
- 262,144 tokens
- Tool Calling
- ✓ supported
- Structured Output
- ✓ supported
- Reasoning Mode
- ✓ supported
- Vision
- ✓ accepts images
- Audio
- ✓ accepts audio
- Moderated
- no
What it costs in practice
Computed from the current $0.45/M input and $1.20/M output rates. Run your own numbers →
| Job | Tokens | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Summarize a 50-page report | 30k in / 1.5k out | $0.02 |
| Classify 1,000 customer emails | 500k in / 50k out | $0.29 |
| A month of a busy support chatbot | 5M in / 2M out | $4.65 |
Price & spec history
Tracked daily by PicksByModel since 2026-08-01.
| Date | Input /M | Output /M | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-08 | $0.45 | $1.20 | 524,288 |
| 2026-08-01 | $0.50 | $1.20 | 524,288 |
Strong choice for
Category rankings
Where Thinking Machines: Inkling Small places across the 14 categories it ranks in. How we rank →
| # | Category | Score |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | TranscriptionVoice · of 25 ranked | 123 |
| #2 | TTS ReplacementVoice · of 25 ranked | 115 |
| #10 | Customer SupportBusiness · of 25 ranked | 133 |
| #11 | Bulk Data LabelingData · of 25 ranked | 134 |
| #11 | Audio SummarizationVoice · of 25 ranked | 155 |
| #13 | Short-Form SummarizationWriting · of 25 ranked | 130 |
| #13 | Image CaptioningVision · of 25 ranked | 121 |
| #13 | Chat CompanionPersonal · of 25 ranked | 130 |
| #14 | Email DraftingWriting · of 25 ranked | 126 |
| #14 | Language LearningEducation · of 25 ranked | 126 |
| #16 | Code CompletionCode · of 25 ranked | 133 |
| #16 | Trivia & General KnowledgePersonal · of 25 ranked | 120 |
| #17 | Dataset AnnotationResearch · of 25 ranked | 143 |
| #20 | JSON ExtractionData · of 25 ranked | 146 |
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Quick answers
- How much does Thinking Machines: Inkling Small cost?
- $0.45 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens.
- What is Thinking Machines: Inkling Small's context window?
- 524,288 tokens, roughly 786 pages of text in a single request.
- Does Thinking Machines: Inkling Small support tool calling?
- It supports tool calling, structured output, a reasoning mode.
- Can Thinking Machines: Inkling Small process images?
- Yes, it accepts image input.