Gemini 4 Carbon High vs Muse Spark 1.3 Max compared

Gemini 4 Carbon High leads the intelligence index 60.0 to 36.6. Price per token, response speed and when to pick each.

Metric	Gemini 4 Carbon (High)	Muse Spark 1.3 (Max)
Intelligence Index	60.0	36.6
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$4.00	$1.25
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$20.00	$4.25
Output speed (tokens/s)	91	140
Time to first token	2.0 min	36s
Release date	2026-10-28	2026-09-02

Metric

Gemini 4 Carbon (High)

Muse Spark 1.3 (Max)

Intelligence Index

60.0

36.6

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$4.00

$1.25

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$20.00

$4.25

Output speed (tokens/s)

140

Time to first token

2.0 min

36s

Release date

2026-10-28

2026-09-02

On paper this is a mismatch: Gemini 4 Carbon (High) and Muse Spark 1.3 (Max) are separated by 23.4 points on the intelligence index. Their widest difference is the intelligence index, with Gemini 4 Carbon High ahead by 23.4 points (60.0 versus 36.6). This page is written automatically from catalogue numbers only: benchmark scores, list prices and measured speed.

Gemini 4 Carbon High leads on the intelligence index

On the intelligence index, Gemini 4 Carbon High scores 60.0 against 36.6 for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. These scores put the two models in different leagues on overall capability. Put another way, Muse Spark 1.3 Max would need 64% more on this index to draw level.

Across the 109 active models with an intelligence score in the catalogue, Gemini 4 Carbon High ranks 1st and Muse Spark 1.3 Max ranks 36th.

Specialist coding and math indexes are missing for both, so treat the overall score as the only capability signal here.

Muse Spark 1.3 Max is the faster writer

Measured output speed is 91 tokens per second for Gemini 4 Carbon High and 140 tokens per second for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. On long outputs, that is a real advantage for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Time to first token is 2.0 minutes for Gemini 4 Carbon High and 36 seconds for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Gemini 4 Carbon High waits 3.3 times as long before its first token. A first-token wait of that length suits background work better than live conversation.

Add the two numbers up for a 1,500-token reply and Muse Spark 1.3 Max finishes first: 2.3 minutes for Gemini 4 Carbon High, 47 seconds for Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

Which is newer

Gemini 4 Carbon High arrived on October 28, 2026, about 2 months after Muse Spark 1.3 Max (September 2, 2026).

Cost: Muse Spark 1.3 Max is cheaper

Per million tokens, Gemini 4 Carbon High charges $4.00 for input and $20.00 for output, while Muse Spark 1.3 Max charges $1.25 and $4.25. Gemini 4 Carbon High costs 4.7 times as much per output token.

Take 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens: that comes to $8.00 on Gemini 4 Carbon High and $2.10 on Muse Spark 1.3 Max. For extracting fields from 20,000 pages of 1,500 tokens into 150-token records, Muse Spark 1.3 Max would come in 72% lower: $180 for Gemini 4 Carbon High against $50.25 for Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

Value for money

Dividing the blended price by the intelligence index gives a rough cost per point: $0.13 for Gemini 4 Carbon High and $0.055 for Muse Spark 1.3 Max, per million tokens. Gemini 4 Carbon High costs 2.4 times as much per point, which is the price of its lead.

Common questions about Gemini 4 Carbon High and Muse Spark 1.3 Max

Is Gemini 4 Carbon High better than Muse Spark 1.3 Max?

Neither wins everywhere: Gemini 4 Carbon High scores higher on the intelligence index, 60.0 to 36.6; Muse Spark 1.3 Max is 75% cheaper on blended price; and Muse Spark 1.3 Max streams output 1.5 times as fast.

When were Gemini 4 Carbon High and Muse Spark 1.3 Max released?

Gemini 4 Carbon High is newer. It was released on October 28, 2026, about 2 months after Muse Spark 1.3 Max (September 2, 2026).

Where do these numbers come from?

The figures are the recorded benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's model catalogue. This page is written from that data automatically; neither model was tested by hand for it.

Are Gemini 4 Carbon High and Muse Spark 1.3 Max from the same company?

Gemini 4 Carbon High is made by Google and Muse Spark 1.3 Max by Meta. Gemini 4 Carbon High was released on October 28, 2026 and Muse Spark 1.3 Max on September 2, 2026.

Which is cheaper, Gemini 4 Carbon High or Muse Spark 1.3 Max?

Muse Spark 1.3 Max is cheaper on a blended basis. Gemini 4 Carbon High lists $4.00 per million input tokens and $20.00 per million output tokens; Muse Spark 1.3 Max lists $1.25 and $4.25. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $8.00 against $2.10.

Final whistle

In one line: on balance the numbers favour Gemini 4 Carbon High, though Muse Spark 1.3 Max keeps a case of its own. Pick Muse Spark 1.3 Max if cost matters ($4.25 against $20.00 per million output tokens) and users are waiting on the first word. Pick Gemini 4 Carbon High if you need the higher overall score (60.0 against 36.6) and you want the more recent release.

Where the numbers come from

The scores, speed and prices in this comparison come from independent third-party model evaluations that Franklin AI syncs each day, and the article was written from a snapshot of them. For the latest results, open the Gemini 4 Carbon (High) and Muse Spark 1.3 (Max) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.