GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) vs Inkling 2 Small
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) by OpenAI or Inkling 2 Small by Thinking Machines? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-11-06.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) scores 1.7 points higher (32.3 vs 30.6) but costs 4.1× as much to run the benchmark ($3250 vs $792; flagship vs premium cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) when you need intelligence above 30.6, and Inkling 2 Small when 30.6 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) | Inkling 2 Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 32.3 | 30.6 | −5.3% Inkling 2 Small is 5.3% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $3,250.14 | $791.81 | −75.6% Inkling 2 Small is 75.6% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 209.20s | 20.92s | −90.0% Inkling 2 Small is 90.0% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $2.00 / $12.0 | $0.30 / $1.00 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image |
Inkling 2 Small vs GPT-5.6 Terra (Max): 5.3% less intelligence, 75.6% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 90.0% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Terra (Max) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Astra (High) scores 54.80 for $3204.
- Inkling 2 Small is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6.1 Sol (Xhigh) scores 52.50 for $718.
GPT-5.6 Terra (Max)Inkling 2 SmallToday's Pareto 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-terra/inkling-2-small · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-terra/inkling-2-small?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill