DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Inkling 2 Small
Inkling 2 Small leads the LLM Stats Score 47.2 to 15.4.
DeepSeek · Thinking Machines Lab · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Inkling 2 Small leads the overall LLM Stats Score 47.2 to 15.4, ranking #39 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Inkling 2 Small wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Zero
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Inkling 2 Small
- overall performance matters — it scores 47.2 and ranks #39 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for DeepSeek R1 Zero · 11 for Inkling 2 Small
DeepSeek R1 Zero outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Inkling 2 Small is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Inkling 2 Small significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek R1 Zero has 77.0B more parameters than Inkling 2 Small, making it 13.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Inkling 2 Small specifies input context (256,000 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Inkling 2 Small supports multimodal inputs, whereas DeepSeek R1 Zero does not.
Inkling 2 Small can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
DeepSeek R1 Zero
Inkling 2 Small
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Zero is licensed under MIT, while Inkling 2 Small uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Zero was released on 2025-01-20, while Inkling 2 Small was released on 2026-11-05.
Inkling 2 Small is 22 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Zero.
Jan 20, 2025
1.8 years ago
Nov 5, 2026
4 days ago
1.8yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against DeepSeek R1 Zero and Inkling 2 Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Zero vs Inkling 2 Small.