GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) vs Inkling Small
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) by OpenAI or Inkling Small by Thinking Machines? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-25.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) scores 11.6 points higher (37.3 vs 25.7) but costs 1.3× as much to run the benchmark ($320 vs $241; both mid-range class). Pick GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise Inkling Small.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) | Inkling Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 37.3 | 25.7 | −31.1% Inkling Small is 31.1% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $319.93 | $240.85 | −24.7% Inkling Small is 24.7% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 103.72s | 12.95s | −87.5% Inkling Small is 87.5% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $0.30 / $1.20 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image, Speech |
Inkling Small vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Max): 31.1% less intelligence, 24.7% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 87.5% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Luna (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, MiMo-V2.6-Pro scores 46.30 for $207.
- Inkling Small is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, MiMo-V2.6-Pro scores 46.30 for $207.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Max)Inkling SmallToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna/inkling-small · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna/inkling-small?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill