Inkling 2 Small vs Muse Spark 1.3 Max: which is cheaper?

Muse Spark 1.3 Max leads the intelligence index 36.6 to 30.6. Price per token, response speed and when to pick each.

Metric	Inkling 2 Small	Muse Spark 1.3 (Max)
Intelligence Index	30.6	36.6
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.30	$1.25
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$1.00	$4.25
Output speed (tokens/s)	139	140
Time to first token	2.2s	36s
Release date	2026-11-05	2026-09-02

Metric

Inkling 2 Small

Muse Spark 1.3 (Max)

Intelligence Index

30.6

36.6

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.30

$1.25

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$1.00

$4.25

Output speed (tokens/s)

139

140

Time to first token

2.2s

36s

Release date

2026-11-05

2026-09-02

This comparison puts Thinking Machines's Inkling 2 Small next to Meta's Muse Spark 1.3 (Max). Everything below is read from the benchmark, price and speed data in Franklin AI's catalogue; nothing here comes from a hands-on test. Cost is where they split the most, with Inkling 2 Small working out at about 24% of Muse Spark 1.3 Max's blended rate.

Running costs

The list prices are $0.30 in and $1.00 out for Inkling 2 Small, and $1.25 in and $4.25 out for Muse Spark 1.3 Max, per million tokens. That makes Inkling 2 Small's output 76% cheaper.

Take 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens: that comes to $0.50 on Inkling 2 Small and $2.10 on Muse Spark 1.3 Max. A bigger example, classifying 100,000 short messages at 150 input tokens and 5 output tokens each, costs $5.00 on Inkling 2 Small and $20.88 on Muse Spark 1.3 Max: a gap of $15.88. On a 3:1 blend of input to output tokens, that works out to $0.475 versus $2.00 per million.

The headline benchmark

Inkling 2 Small records 30.6 on the intelligence index and Muse Spark 1.3 Max records 36.6. It is a meaningful gap rather than a rounding difference. Put another way, Inkling 2 Small would need 20% more on this index to draw level.

Across the 109 active models with an intelligence score in the catalogue, Inkling 2 Small ranks 52nd and Muse Spark 1.3 Max ranks 36th.

There are no coding or math index scores for either model in the catalogue, which keeps this comparison at the aggregate level.

Score per dollar

Dividing the blended price by the intelligence index gives a rough cost per point: $0.016 for Inkling 2 Small and $0.055 for Muse Spark 1.3 Max, per million tokens. Inkling 2 Small delivers each index point for 72% less; whether Muse Spark 1.3 Max's extra 6.0 points are worth the premium depends on how often your tasks need them.

Waiting time

Once a response is under way, Inkling 2 Small produces roughly 139 tokens per second against 140 tokens per second for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Throughput is close to level. The wait for the first token averages 2.2 seconds on Inkling 2 Small against 36 seconds on Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Muse Spark 1.3 Max waits 16 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 an 800-token reply and Inkling 2 Small finishes first: 8.0 seconds for Inkling 2 Small, 42 seconds for Muse Spark 1.3 Max.

When they came out

Muse Spark 1.3 Max came first, on September 2, 2026; Inkling 2 Small followed on November 5, 2026.

FAQ

Is Inkling 2 Small better than Muse Spark 1.3 Max?

Not across the board: Muse Spark 1.3 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 36.6 to 30.6; Inkling 2 Small is 76% cheaper on blended price; and Inkling 2 Small reaches its first token sooner.

Is Muse Spark 1.3 Max cheaper than Inkling 2 Small?

Inkling 2 Small is cheaper on a blended basis. Inkling 2 Small lists $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.00 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 $0.50 against $2.10.

Which is newer, Inkling 2 Small or Muse Spark 1.3 Max?

Inkling 2 Small is newer. It was released on November 5, 2026, about 2 months after Muse Spark 1.3 Max (September 2, 2026).

Which model has lower latency?

Their output speeds are close: 139 tokens per second for Inkling 2 Small and 140 tokens per second for Muse Spark 1.3 Max. Inkling 2 Small reaches its first token sooner (2.2 seconds against 36 seconds).

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

Inkling 2 Small has more going for it here, but Muse Spark 1.3 Max is not without an argument. Pick Inkling 2 Small if cost matters ($1.00 against $4.25 per million output tokens) and users are waiting on the first word. Pick Muse Spark 1.3 Max if you need the higher overall score (36.6 against 30.6).

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 Inkling 2 Small and Muse Spark 1.3 (Max) pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.