GLM-5.2 (Max) vs Inkling Small
Which is better for the money: GLM-5.2 (Max) by Z AI or Inkling Small by Thinking Machines? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-24.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GLM-5.2 (Max) scores 8.0 points higher (33.7 vs 25.7) but costs 8.7× as much to run the benchmark ($2097 vs $241; flagship vs mid-range cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GLM-5.2 (Max) when you need intelligence above 25.7, and Inkling Small when 25.7 is enough.
| Metric | GLM-5.2 (Max) | Inkling Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 33.7 | 25.7 | −23.7% Inkling Small is 23.7% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $2,097.29 | $240.85 | −88.5% Inkling Small is 88.5% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 30.10s | 12.67s | −57.9% Inkling Small is 57.9% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $1.40 / $4.40 | $0.30 / $1.20 | |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image, Speech |
Inkling Small vs GLM-5.2 (Max): 23.7% less intelligence, 88.5% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 57.9% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GLM-5.2 (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Max) scores 51.80 for $1082.
- Inkling Small is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, MiMo-V2.6-Pro scores 46.30 for $207.
GLM-5.2 (Max)Inkling SmallToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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