Grok 4.6 vs Inkling-Small
Grok 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Inkling-Small is 5.7x cheaper per token.
xAI · Thinking Machines Lab · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok 4.6 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AA-Briefcase, GDPval-AA), while Inkling-Small is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Inkling-Small is roughly 5.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.6 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok 4.6
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose Inkling-Small
- cost matters — it's about 5.7x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.6 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AA-Briefcase, GDPval-AA), while Inkling-Small is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.6 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 6.7x more expensive than Inkling-Small ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.6 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Inkling-Small ($1.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.6 is more expensive than Inkling-Small.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.6 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Inkling-Small's 256,000 tokens. Only Inkling-Small specifies output context (256,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Grok 4.6 and Inkling-Small support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok 4.6
Inkling-Small
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Inkling-Small uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok 4.6 was released on 2026-08-12, while Inkling-Small was released on 2026-07-30.
Grok 4.6 is 0 month newer than Inkling-Small.
Aug 12, 2026
1 weeks ago
1w newerJul 30, 2026
3 weeks ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.6 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Inkling-Small's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.6's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Inkling-Small's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.6 is available from xAI. Inkling-Small is available from Thinking Machines Lab.
Grok 4.6
Inkling-Small
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.6 and Inkling-Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.6 vs Inkling-Small.