Model Comparison

Muse Spark vs MAI-Thinking-1Which is better in 2026?

Muse Spark significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Muse Spark vs MAI-Thinking-1 — which is better?

Muse Spark (by Meta) and MAI-Thinking-1 (by Microsoft) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Muse Spark outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MedXpertQA, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 1 benchmark (SWE-Bench Pro). Muse Spark significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Muse Spark if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 5 shared benchmarks

Choose MAI-Thinking-1 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Muse Spark outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MedXpertQA, SWE-Bench Verified, Terminal-Bench 2.0), while MAI-Thinking-1 is better at 1 benchmark (SWE-Bench Pro).

Muse Spark significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Muse Spark supports multimodal inputs, whereas MAI-Thinking-1 does not.

Muse Spark can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Muse Spark

Text
Images
Audio
Video

MAI-Thinking-1

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.

Muse Spark

Proprietary

Closed source

MAI-Thinking-1

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Muse Spark was released on 2026-04-08, while MAI-Thinking-1 was released on 2026-06-02.

MAI-Thinking-1 is 2 months newer than Muse Spark.

Muse Spark

Apr 8, 2026

3 months ago

MAI-Thinking-1

Jun 2, 2026

1 months ago

1mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Supports multimodal inputs
Higher GPQA score (89.5% vs 84.2%)
Higher MedXpertQA score (78.4% vs 43.0%)
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (77.4% vs 73.5%)
Higher Terminal-Bench 2.0 score (59.0% vs 46.0%)
Higher SWE-Bench Pro score (52.8% vs 52.4%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Muse Spark and MAI-Thinking-1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Muse Spark
✓ Preferred
MAI-Thinking-1
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Meta
Muse Spark
Microsoft
MAI-Thinking-1

FAQ

Common questions about Muse Spark vs MAI-Thinking-1.

Which is better, Muse Spark or MAI-Thinking-1?

Muse Spark significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Muse Spark is made by Meta and MAI-Thinking-1 is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Muse Spark compare to MAI-Thinking-1 in benchmarks?

Muse Spark scores Tau2 Telecom: 91.5%, GPQA: 89.5%, CharXiv-R: 86.4%, ScreenSpot Pro: 84.1%, IPhO 2025: 82.6%. MAI-Thinking-1 scores LongFact: 98.0%, AIME 2025: 97.0%, AIME 2026: 94.5%, GraphWalks: 90.0%, AIR-Bench: 88.0%.

What are the main differences between Muse Spark and MAI-Thinking-1?

Key differences include multimodal support (yes vs no). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Muse Spark and MAI-Thinking-1?

Muse Spark is developed by Meta and MAI-Thinking-1 is developed by Microsoft.