Overview
Inkling 2 Small is an open-weight multimodal mixture-of-experts reasoning model from Thinking Machines Lab, with 17B active parameters out of 594B total. It is the first model in the second...
Our take
For users needing to process extensive textual information alongside visual data, Inkling 2 Small offers a notable option. Its 1,048,576-token context window is larger than many comparable models, facilitating detailed analysis of long documents or conversations. Unlike alternatives such as Claude or ChatGPT, which are often accessed through proprietary interfaces, this model is available free of charge via the OpenRouter API. This positions it for developers or researchers who integrate AI capabilities directly into their own applications and can manage potential rate limits imposed by the upstream provider. The inclusion of vision capabilities means it can interpret image inputs, while its built-in chain-of-thought reasoning mode aims to address more complex problems. This tool is best suited for those engaged in research or writing tasks that require processing large volumes of mixed-media input without direct cost. Individuals seeking a polished, standalone chat interface may find its API-centric availability less direct.
How Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small stacks up
Among the 15 chatbots & llms tools in our directory, it ranks #3 of 15 on quality (9.2/10), 8% above the 15-tool average of 8.5, and its $0.3/1M input-token rate is in the budget end — 85% cheaper than the 10-model average of $1.99/1M.
Weighing quality against cost, Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small's cost-per-quality-point of $0.03 places it in the top 30% for value among chatbots & llms tools.
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small in depth
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small, built by Thinkingmachines, sits in the chatbots & llms space and is free to start, with paid plans from $0.30/1M tokens. Our editors rate it 9.2 out of 10 based on capability, ecosystem and value. It handles a context window of 1,048,576 tokens.
On the feature side, Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small brings 1,048,576-token context window, vision (image input), reasoning / chain-of-thought and tool / function calling. These are the capabilities that most shape day-to-day use and separate it from thinner alternatives.
Its biggest strength is completely free to use via the openrouter api, while the main trade-off to weigh is that availability and rate limits depend on the upstream provider. Keep both in mind when deciding whether it fits your workflow.
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small is most often chosen for research and writing. If that matches your goals, it's a strong candidate to shortlist.
Key features
- ✓1,048,576-token context window
- ✓Vision (image input)
- ✓Reasoning / chain-of-thought
- ✓Tool / function calling
- ✓Structured (JSON) outputs
Pricing
Pros
- +Completely free to use via the OpenRouter API
- +Large 1,048,576-token context window, bigger than most models listed here
- +Built-in reasoning (chain-of-thought) mode for harder problems
- +Accepts images as input (vision-capable)
Cons
- −Availability and rate limits depend on the upstream provider
Who should use Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small
- →Anyone looking for a chatbots & llms tool from Thinkingmachines.
- →Teams and individuals focused on research and writing.
- →Users who want to try before they buy — there's a free tier.
- →People who value completely free to use via the openrouter api.
Who should look elsewhere
- →Those for whom availability and rate limits depend on the upstream provider is a dealbreaker.
Best for
10 Best Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small Alternatives in 2026
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small is a strong chatbots & llms tool, but it is not the only option. Whether you are after a lower price, different features or a better fit for your workflow, here are the 10 best alternatives to Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small, ranked and compared.
Anthropic
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OpenAI
ChatGPT is OpenAI's flagship conversational AI, powering hundreds of millions of weekly users across web, mobile and…
Google DeepMind
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DeepSeek
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI lab that stunned the industry with frontier-level reasoning models at a fraction of typical…
Perplexity AI
Perplexity is an AI answer engine that combines live web search with large language models to deliver cited, up-to-date…
Alibaba Cloud
Qwen is Alibaba's series of open-weight models spanning chat, coding, vision and math.
Mistral AI
Mistral AI is a European lab offering both open-weight and commercial models that punch well above their size.
xAI
Grok is xAI's assistant, tightly integrated with the X platform and trained with a distinctively candid, witty persona.
Meta
Llama is Meta's family of open-weight large language models that became the de-facto foundation for the open-source AI…
Cohere
Cohere's Command models are purpose-built for enterprise retrieval-augmented generation and agentic workflows.
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small vs top alternatives
A side-by-side look at how Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small stacks up against its closest rivals.
| Feature | Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 SmallThinkingmachines | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle DeepMind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality score | 9.2 / 10 | 9.6 / 10 | 9.5 / 10 | 9.2 / 10 |
| Starting price | $0.30/1M tokens | $20/mo | $20/mo | $20/mo |
| Free tier | Yes — Free variant available | Yes — Free tier available | Yes — Free tier available | Yes — Free tier available |
| API input price | $0.3 / 1M tokens | $8 / 1M tokens | $1 / 1M tokens | $1.5 / 1M tokens |
| API output price | $1 / 1M tokens | $40 / 1M tokens | $5 / 1M tokens | $7.5 / 1M tokens |
| Speed | — | Fast | Fast | Fast |
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens | 200K tokens | 128K tokens | 1M-2M tokens |
| Categories | Chatbots & LLMs | Chatbots & LLMs, Coding, Writing | Chatbots & LLMs, Coding, Writing | Chatbots & LLMs, Coding, Writing |
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Frequently asked questions
Q. Is Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small free?
Yes — Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small offers a free tier. Paid plans start at $0.30/1M tokens.
Q. How much does Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small cost?
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small starts at $0.30/1M tokens. API usage is around $0.3 per 1M input tokens and $1 per 1M output tokens.
Q. What is Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small best for?
Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small is best suited to research and writing, within the chatbots & llms category.
Q. What are the best Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small alternatives?
Popular alternatives to Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small include Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and DeepSeek. Each trades off price, quality and ecosystem differently.
Q. Is there a free alternative to Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small?
Yes. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini offer a free tier, making them good starting points if you want to avoid an upfront subscription.
Q. Why switch from Thinking Machines: Inkling 2 Small?
Common reasons include pricing, specific feature gaps (Availability and rate limits depend on the upstream provider), data-privacy requirements, or simply wanting a tool that fits your stack better.
How we rate AI tools
Our quality score weighs capability on real tasks, breadth of features and integrations, pricing and value, and how actively the tool is maintained. Scores are editorial guidance, not benchmarks — always trial a tool on your own workflow before committing. Pricing and features change frequently, so verify current details on the official site.
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