Inkling-Small vs Muse Spark 1.2
Inkling-Small and Muse Spark 1.2 are closely matched at 39.3 and 41.1 on the LLM Stats Score. Muse Spark 1.2 is 4.2x cheaper per token.
Thinking Machines Lab · Meta · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Inkling-Small and Muse Spark 1.2 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 39.3 and 41.1.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Muse Spark 1.2 wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Muse Spark 1.2 is roughly 4.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Muse Spark 1.2 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 Inkling-Small
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Muse Spark 1.2
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 4.2x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Individual benchmarks
24 reported for Inkling-Small · 3 for Muse Spark 1.2
Inkling-Small outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Muse Spark 1.2 is better at 1 benchmark (Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Muse Spark 1.2 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, Inkling-Small ($0.30/1M tokens) is 3.0x more expensive than Muse Spark 1.2 ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Inkling-Small ($1.20/1M tokens) is 6.0x more expensive than Muse Spark 1.2 ($0.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Inkling-Small is more expensive than Muse Spark 1.2.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Muse Spark 1.2 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Inkling-Small's 256,000 tokens. Inkling-Small can generate longer responses up to 256,000 tokens, while Muse Spark 1.2 is limited to 131,072 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Inkling-Small and Muse Spark 1.2 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Inkling-Small
Muse Spark 1.2
License
Usage and distribution terms
Inkling-Small is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Muse Spark 1.2 uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Inkling-Small was released on 2026-07-30, while Muse Spark 1.2 was released on 2026-08-05.
Muse Spark 1.2 is 0 month newer than Inkling-Small.
Jul 30, 2026
4 weeks ago
Aug 5, 2026
3 weeks ago
6d newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Inkling-Small is available from Thinking Machines Lab. Muse Spark 1.2 is available from Meta Model API.
Inkling-Small
Muse Spark 1.2
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Inkling-Small and Muse Spark 1.2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Inkling-Small vs Muse Spark 1.2.