GLM-5.3-Flash vs Inkling 2 Small compared

Inkling 2 Small leads the intelligence index 30.6 to 27.8. GLM-5.3-Flash costs 50% less on blended price. Benchmarks, sample bills, speed and a verdict.

Metric	GLM-5.3-Flash	Inkling 2 Small
Intelligence Index	27.8	30.6
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.15	$0.30
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$0.50	$1.00
Output speed (tokens/s)	56	139
Time to first token	1.6s	2.2s
Release date	2026-08-26	2026-11-05

Metric

GLM-5.3-Flash

Inkling 2 Small

Intelligence Index

27.8

30.6

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.15

$0.30

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$0.50

$1.00

Output speed (tokens/s)

139

Time to first token

1.6s

2.2s

Release date

2026-08-26

2026-11-05

GLM-5.3-Flash from Z AI and Inkling 2 Small from Thinking Machines land within 2.8 points of each other on the intelligence index. Inkling 2 Small streams output at about 139 tokens per second, 2.5 times the rate of GLM-5.3-Flash. All numbers are the catalogue's recorded values; nobody ran either model by hand for this page.

Inkling 2 Small is the faster writer

Once a response is under way, GLM-5.3-Flash produces roughly 56 tokens per second against 139 tokens per second for Inkling 2 Small. That makes Inkling 2 Small roughly 2.5 times as fast at writing. Time to first token is 1.6 seconds for GLM-5.3-Flash and 2.2 seconds for Inkling 2 Small. Short replies favour GLM-5.3-Flash; beyond about 50 tokens, Inkling 2 Small claws the time back.

Add the two numbers up for an 800-token reply and Inkling 2 Small finishes first: 16 seconds for GLM-5.3-Flash, 8.0 seconds for Inkling 2 Small.

Token pricing and a sample bill

Per million tokens, GLM-5.3-Flash charges $0.15 for input and $0.50 for output, while Inkling 2 Small charges $0.30 and $1.00. Inkling 2 Small costs twice as much per output token.

A reference job of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens costs $0.25 with GLM-5.3-Flash and $0.50 with Inkling 2 Small, so GLM-5.3-Flash saves $0.25. For summarising 1,000 documents of 8,000 tokens into 400-token summaries, GLM-5.3-Flash would come in 50% lower: $1.40 for GLM-5.3-Flash against $2.80 for Inkling 2 Small.

How the intelligence index compares

The catalogue puts GLM-5.3-Flash at 27.8 and Inkling 2 Small at 30.6 on its intelligence index. That is a modest edge: real, but small enough that the right set of tasks could reverse it. In relative terms, Inkling 2 Small scores 10% higher.

For context, that places GLM-5.3-Flash 63rd and Inkling 2 Small 52nd out of 109 scored models still on offer.

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

Is the price in proportion?

A blunt value measure, blended price over intelligence score, puts GLM-5.3-Flash at $0.0085 and Inkling 2 Small at $0.016 per point. GLM-5.3-Flash delivers each index point for 45% less; whether Inkling 2 Small's extra 2.8 points are worth the premium depends on how often your tasks need them.

Generation gap

GLM-5.3-Flash came first, on August 26, 2026; Inkling 2 Small followed on November 5, 2026.

FAQ

Is Inkling 2 Small better than GLM-5.3-Flash?

Not across the board: Inkling 2 Small scores higher on the intelligence index, 30.6 to 27.8; GLM-5.3-Flash is 50% cheaper on blended price; Inkling 2 Small streams output 2.5 times as fast; and GLM-5.3-Flash reaches its first token sooner.

Are GLM-5.3-Flash and Inkling 2 Small from the same company?

GLM-5.3-Flash is made by Z AI and Inkling 2 Small by Thinking Machines. GLM-5.3-Flash was released on August 26, 2026 and Inkling 2 Small on November 5, 2026.

Which is faster, GLM-5.3-Flash or Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small generates output faster, at 139 tokens per second against 56 tokens per second. GLM-5.3-Flash reaches its first token sooner (1.6 seconds against 2.2 seconds). Counting the first-token wait, GLM-5.3-Flash finishes short replies first and Inkling 2 Small pulls ahead beyond about 50 tokens.

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.

Which is newer, GLM-5.3-Flash or Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small is newer. It was released on November 5, 2026, about 2 months after GLM-5.3-Flash (August 26, 2026).

Final whistle

In one line: on balance the numbers favour Inkling 2 Small, though GLM-5.3-Flash keeps a case of its own. Pick Inkling 2 Small if your outputs often run past about 50 tokens and you need the higher overall score (30.6 against 27.8). Pick GLM-5.3-Flash if cost matters ($0.50 against $1.00 per million output tokens) and users are waiting on the first word.

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 GLM-5.3-Flash and Inkling 2 Small pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.