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Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling 2 Small

Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small are closely matched at 48.6 and 47.1 on the LLM Stats Score. Inkling 2 Small is 3.2x cheaper per token.

Google · Thinking Machines Lab · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 48.6 and 47.1.

The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.

On price, Inkling 2 Small is roughly 3.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.8 Flash also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Gemini 3.8 Flash

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window

Choose Inkling 2 Small

  • cost matters — it's about 3.2x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2026

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Gemini 3.8 Flash
Google
Inkling 2 Small
Thinking Machines Lab
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
48.6
#31
47.1
#41
Reasoning
45.7
#37
47.8
#26
Coding
34.3
#42
36.2
#35
Agents
33.6
#37
33.3
#39
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
1 of 2
1 of 2
Input price
$0.75 / M
$0.30 / M
Output price
$3.75 / M
$1.00 / M
Context window
1,048,576
256,000

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

3 shared
Index
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Inkling 2 Small
Vision
33.6#23
29.2#47
Tool use
23.0#56
28.3#28
Multimodal
34.4#20
28.9#44
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

13 reported for Gemini 3.8 Flash · 11 for Inkling 2 Small

2 shared

Gemini 3.8 Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (CharXiv-R), while Inkling 2 Small is better at 1 benchmark (GDPval-AA).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Tue Nov 10 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Inkling 2 Small costs less

For input processing, Gemini 3.8 Flash ($0.75/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Inkling 2 Small ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.8 Flash ($3.75/1M tokens) is 3.8x more expensive than Inkling 2 Small ($1.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.8 Flash is more expensive than Inkling 2 Small.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Nov 10 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Input tokens$0.75
Output tokens$3.75
Best providerGoogle
Thinking Machines Lab
Inkling 2 Small
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerUnknown Organization
Notice missing or incorrect data?

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.8 Flash accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Inkling 2 Small's 256,000 tokens. Only Gemini 3.8 Flash specifies output context (65,536 tokens).

Google
Gemini 3.8 Flash
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Thinking Machines Lab
Inkling 2 Small
Input256,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Nov 10 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

Both Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Gemini 3.8 Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Inkling 2 Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Gemini 3.8 Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Inkling 2 Small

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.8 Flash was released on 2026-09-02, while Inkling 2 Small was released on 2026-11-05.

Inkling 2 Small is 2 months newer than Gemini 3.8 Flash.

Gemini 3.8 Flash

Sep 2, 2026

2 months ago

Inkling 2 Small

Nov 5, 2026

4 days ago

2mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.8 Flash has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Inkling 2 Small's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.8 Flash's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Inkling 2 Small's cutoff date.

Gemini 3.8 Flash

Mar 2026

Inkling 2 Small

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.8 Flash is available from Google. Inkling 2 Small is available from Thinking Machines Lab.

Gemini 3.8 Flash

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.75/1MOutput Price:Output: $3.75/1M

Inkling 2 Small

thinking-machines logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.8 Flash
✓ Preferred
Inkling 2 Small
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.8 Flash vs Inkling 2 Small.

Which is better, Gemini 3.8 Flash or Inkling 2 Small?

Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small are closely matched on the LLM Stats Score at 48.6 and 47.1. Gemini 3.8 Flash is made by Google and Inkling 2 Small is made by Thinking Machines Lab. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Gemini 3.8 Flash compare to Inkling 2 Small in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.8 Flash scores Terminal-Bench 2.1: 89.4%, LVBench: 87.1%, CharXiv-R: 86.2%, LABBench2: 86.2%, DeepSWE 1.1: 73.7%. Inkling 2 Small scores GPQA: 93.0%, BrowseComp: 90.2%, CharXiv-R: 85.6%, MCP Atlas: 85.0%, SWE-Bench Verified: 82.2%.

Is Gemini 3.8 Flash cheaper than Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small is 2.5x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.8 Flash costs $0.75/M input and $3.75/M output via google. Inkling 2 Small costs $0.30/M input and $1.00/M output via thinking-machines.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small?

Gemini 3.8 Flash supports 1.0M tokens and Inkling 2 Small supports 256K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (48.6 vs 47.1), context window (1.0M vs 256K), input pricing ($0.75 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.8 Flash and Inkling 2 Small?

Gemini 3.8 Flash is developed by Google and Inkling 2 Small is developed by Thinking Machines Lab.

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