Inkling-Small vs Qwen3.8-27B
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Thinking Machines Lab · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Inkling-Small outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, IFBench), while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Inkling-Small
- you want predictable pricing at $0.30/M input and $1.20/M output
Choose Qwen3.8-27B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Inkling-Small outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, Humanity's Last Exam, IFBench), while Qwen3.8-27B is better at 3 benchmarks (CharXiv-R, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Inkling-Small has 248.2B more parameters than Qwen3.8-27B, making it 893.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Inkling-Small specifies input context (256,000 tokens). Only Inkling-Small specifies output context (256,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Inkling-Small and Qwen3.8-27B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Inkling-Small
Qwen3.8-27B
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Inkling-Small was released on 2026-07-30, while Qwen3.8-27B was released on 2026-08-14.
Qwen3.8-27B is 1 month newer than Inkling-Small.
Jul 30, 2026
3 weeks ago
Aug 14, 2026
1 weeks ago
2w 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 Inkling-Small and Qwen3.8-27B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Inkling-Small vs Qwen3.8-27B.