Grok-3 Mini vs Inkling 2 Small
Inkling 2 Small leads the LLM Stats Score 47.2 to 30.6. Grok-3 Mini is 1.4x cheaper per token.
xAI · Thinking Machines Lab · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Inkling 2 Small leads the overall LLM Stats Score 47.2 to 30.6, 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.
On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Inkling 2 Small also accepts a larger context window (256,000 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 Grok-3 Mini
- cost matters — it's about 1.4x cheaper per token
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 process long inputs — it offers a 256,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
4 reported for Grok-3 Mini · 11 for Inkling 2 Small
Grok-3 Mini 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
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.30/1M tokens) costs the same as Inkling 2 Small ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Inkling 2 Small ($1.00/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Inkling 2 Small is more expensive than Grok-3 Mini.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Inkling 2 Small accepts 256,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. Only Grok-3 Mini specifies output context (8,000 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-3 Mini and Inkling 2 Small support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-3 Mini
Inkling 2 Small
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while Inkling 2 Small was released on 2026-11-05.
Inkling 2 Small is 21 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.
Feb 17, 2025
1.7 years ago
Nov 5, 2026
3 days ago
1.7yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Inkling 2 Small's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok-3 Mini's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without Inkling 2 Small's cutoff date.
Nov 2024
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Provider Availability
Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. Inkling 2 Small is available from Thinking Machines Lab.
Grok-3 Mini
Inkling 2 Small
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and Inkling 2 Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs Inkling 2 Small.