Head-to-head AI model comparison graphic: GLM-5.3 (Z AI) vs Inkling 2 Small (Thinking Machines). Intelligence index 31.7 vs 30.6; output speed 74 vs 139 tokens per second; time to first token 1.7s vs 2.2s; output price $4.40 vs $1.00 per million tokens; input price $1.40 vs $0.30 per million tokens. franklineh.com
GLM-5.3 vs Inkling 2 Small: head-to-head AI benchmark comparison. Inkling 2 Small leads on output speed, output price and input price; GLM-5.3 leads on intelligence index and time to first token.
Head to headBy Franklin AIUpdated

GLM-5.3 Max vs Inkling 2 Small: cost and benchmark comparison

GLM-5.3 Max leads the intelligence index 31.7 to 30.6. Inkling 2 Small costs 78% less on blended price. See token costs, speed and which to pick.

Pick it for GLM-5.3 · Max

  • Higher intelligence index: 31.7 against 30.6.
  • Shorter wait for the first token: 1.7 seconds against 2.2 seconds.

Pick it for Inkling 2 Small

  • Lower cost: $0.50 against $2.28 for 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens.
  • Faster output once writing: 139 tokens per second against 74 tokens per second, which wins on total time beyond about 100 tokens.
  • The newer release (November 2026).

By the numbers

MetricGLM-5.3 (Max)Inkling 2 Small
Intelligence Index31.730.6
Input price (per 1M tokens)$1.40$0.30
Output price (per 1M tokens)$4.40$1.00
Output speed (tokens/s)74139
Time to first token1.7s2.2s
Release date2026-08-182026-11-05

GLM-5.3 (Max) and Inkling 2 Small are close rivals from Z AI and Thinking Machines. No hands-on testing went into this write-up; it summarises the recorded benchmark, price and speed data for both models. The clearest gap is on the bill: GLM-5.3 Max is 4.5 times the blended price of Inkling 2 Small.

Cost: Inkling 2 Small is cheaper

Per million tokens, GLM-5.3 Max charges $1.40 for input and $4.40 for output, while Inkling 2 Small charges $0.30 and $1.00. GLM-5.3 Max costs 4.4 times as much per output token.

Take 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens: that comes to $2.28 on GLM-5.3 Max and $0.50 on Inkling 2 Small. Scale it up to a month of coding-assistant traffic at 30 million input and 3 million output tokens and the bill is $55.20 for GLM-5.3 Max against $12.00 for Inkling 2 Small.

Benchmark scores

On the intelligence index, GLM-5.3 Max scores 31.7 against 30.6 for Inkling 2 Small. It is a small margin for an index that averages many evaluations.

Across the 109 active models with an intelligence score in the catalogue, GLM-5.3 Max ranks 47th and Inkling 2 Small ranks 52nd.

For coding or maths work specifically, the catalogue has no dedicated index on either side yet.

Speed and latency

GLM-5.3 Max generates about 74 tokens per second and Inkling 2 Small about 139 tokens per second. Inkling 2 Small is ahead by 88% on throughput. Time to first token is 1.7 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max and 2.2 seconds for Inkling 2 Small. So the two pull in opposite directions, with GLM-5.3 Max quicker off the mark and Inkling 2 Small quicker once it gets going; the crossover is around 100 tokens.

Add the two numbers up for a 2,000-token reply and Inkling 2 Small finishes first: 29 seconds for GLM-5.3 Max, 17 seconds for Inkling 2 Small.

Value for money

Per point of intelligence index, GLM-5.3 Max costs $0.068 of blended price per million tokens and Inkling 2 Small $0.016. Inkling 2 Small delivers each index point for 77% less; whether GLM-5.3 Max's extra 1.1 points are worth the premium depends on how often your tasks need them.

Release timing

Inkling 2 Small arrived on November 5, 2026, about 3 months after GLM-5.3 Max (August 18, 2026).

Quick answers

Is Inkling 2 Small better than GLM-5.3 Max?

It depends on what you need: GLM-5.3 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 31.7 to 30.6; Inkling 2 Small is 78% cheaper on blended price; Inkling 2 Small streams output 1.9 times as fast; and GLM-5.3 Max reaches its first token sooner.

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

GLM-5.3 Max is made by Z AI and Inkling 2 Small by Thinking Machines. GLM-5.3 Max was released on August 18, 2026 and Inkling 2 Small on November 5, 2026.

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

Inkling 2 Small is newer. It was released on November 5, 2026, about 3 months after GLM-5.3 Max (August 18, 2026).

Which is cheaper, GLM-5.3 Max or Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small is cheaper on a blended basis. GLM-5.3 Max lists $1.40 per million input tokens and $4.40 per million output tokens; Inkling 2 Small lists $0.30 and $1.00. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $2.28 against $0.50.

Was this comparison tested by hand?

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.

Final whistle

The verdict: Inkling 2 Small is the stronger all-round pick on this data, while GLM-5.3 Max makes sense in narrower cases. Pick Inkling 2 Small if cost matters ($1.00 against $4.40 per million output tokens) and your outputs often run past about 100 tokens. Pick GLM-5.3 Max if you need the higher overall score (31.7 against 30.6) 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 (Max) and Inkling 2 Small pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.

Comments (0)

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts!