GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) vs Inkling Small
Which is better for the money: GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) by OpenAI or Inkling Small by Thinking Machines? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-26.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) scores 26.7 points higher (52.4 vs 25.7) but costs 16× as much to run the benchmark ($3803 vs $241; flagship vs mid-range cost classes). They are not alternatives at one budget: pick GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) when you need intelligence above 25.7, and Inkling Small when 25.7 is enough.
| Metric | GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) | Inkling Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 52.4 | 25.7 | −51.0% Inkling Small is 51.0% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $3,802.98 | $240.85 | −93.7% Inkling Small is 93.7% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 176.59s | 12.81s | −92.7% Inkling Small is 92.7% faster |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $10.0 / $50.0 | $0.30 / $1.20 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text, Image, Speech |
Inkling Small vs GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh): 51.0% less intelligence, 93.7% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 92.7% faster end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, Kimi K3.1 Pro scores 55.10 for $3117.
- Inkling Small is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, MiMo-V2.6-Pro scores 46.30 for $207.
GPT-6 Astra (Xhigh)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-6-astra-xhigh/inkling-small · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-6-astra-xhigh/inkling-small?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill