Compare / GPT-5 Nano vs Inkling Small
GPT-5 Nano vs Inkling Small
Which is cheaper, which is more capable, and which does better at each kind of work, from 11 results on 3 sources that measured both models.
GPT-5 Nano or Inkling Small? The short answer
- GPT-5 Nano is cheaper: $0.14 against $0.64 per million tokens, 4.6 times less.
- Inkling Small scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index: 25.7 against 13.0.
- On our business benchmarks, GPT-5 Nano ranks higher for agents and tool use.
- On our business benchmarks, Inkling Small ranks higher for reasoning and knowledge, writing and sticking to the facts.
At a glance
| GPT-5 Nano | Inkling Small | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per million tokens | $0.050 in · $0.40 out | $0.45 in · $1.20 out |
| Blended (3 in : 1 out) | $0.14 | $0.64 |
| Cheapest host, blended | $0.069 (OpenAI) | – |
| Intelligence Index | 13.0 | 25.7 |
| Spring Prompt overall | – | – |
| Output speed, tokens a second | – | 173 |
| Context window | 400,000 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Weights | Closed | Open |
| Developer based in | the US | the US |
Prices are the developer's list price where we have read it, otherwise the typical host on OpenRouter; see every model's price. Intelligence and speed from Artificial Analysis.
Which is better for what
Each model's rank among models available today, for each kind of work, from our own benchmarks and licensed sources. The better rank is in green.
| Use case | GPT-5 Nano | Inkling Small |
|---|---|---|
| Agents and tool useMulti-step tasks with tools: support desks, coding agents, function calls | 50 of 161 | 68 of 161 |
| Reasoning and knowledgeHard questions across science, maths and general knowledge | 131 of 195 | 58 of 195 |
| WritingWhat people prefer in blind comparisons, and judged writing quality | 150 of 187 | 100 of 187 |
| Sticking to the factsSummarising without inventing things, and factual answers | 127 of 153 | 126 of 153 |
| Speed under pressureGood decisions against a real clock (fast chess) | not measured | 4 of 21 |
Every shared result
| Benchmark | Metric | GPT-5 Nano | Inkling Small |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | Business, management and financeArena rating | 1,339 | 1,408 |
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | Creative writingArena rating | 1,247 | 1,313 |
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | Expert promptsArena rating | 1,354 | 1,445 |
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | Instruction followingArena rating | 1,327 | 1,393 |
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | OverallArena rating | 1,338 | 1,405 |
| Arena (formerly LMArena)reported | Writing, literature and languageArena rating | 1,289 | 1,344 |
| Artificial Analysisreported | Artificial Analysis Intelligence Indexindex score | 13.0 | 25.7 |
| Artificial Analysisreported | GPQA Diamond% of questions | 67.6% | 89.5% |
| Artificial Analysisreported | Humanity's Last Exam% of questions | 9.5% | 33.3% |
| Artificial Analysisreported | Long-context reasoning (AA-LCR)% of questions | 45.0% | 75.7% |
| SimpleQA Verified (Epoch AI)reported | Correct answers% of questions | 11.7% | 19.1% |
Bold green marks the better value on that metric. Where a source reports ranges that overlap, the difference may not be meaningful; see the benchmark page for ranges.
Quick answers
Is GPT-5 Nano better than Inkling Small?
It depends on the task. Among models available today, on our benchmarks and licensed sources, GPT-5 Nano ranks higher for agents and tool use; Inkling Small ranks higher for reasoning and knowledge, writing and sticking to the facts.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5 Nano or Inkling Small?
GPT-5 Nano costs $0.14 per million tokens (three input to one output), against $0.64 for Inkling Small.
Run GPT-5 Nano and Inkling Small on your own prompt
Benchmarks aren't your data. Try both side by side in the playground, with the cost of every answer.