DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max Effort) vs Inkling Small
Which is better for the money: DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max Effort) by DeepSeek or Inkling Small by Thinking Machines? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-09-09.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max … scores 8.4 points higher (34.5 vs 26.1) but costs 2.0× as much to run the benchmark ($474 vs $241; both mid-range class). Pick DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max … when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise Inkling Small.
| Metric | DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max Effort) | Inkling Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 34.5 | 26.1 | −24.3% Inkling Small is 24.3% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $474.19 | $240.85 | −49.2% Inkling Small is 49.2% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 20.48s | 21.89s | +6.9% Inkling Small is 6.9% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.44 / $1.32 | $0.30 / $1.20 | |
| Input modalities | Not reported | Not reported |
Inkling Small vs DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max Effort): 24.3% less intelligence, 49.2% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 6.9% slower end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GLM-5.3-Flash scores 41.90 for $280.
- Inkling Small is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-5.6 Luna (xhigh) scores 34.80 for $179.
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (Reasoning, Max Effort)Inkling SmallToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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