Model comparison
DeepSeek V3 vs Inkling
Head-to-head evidence from 2 shared benchmark results across 2 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Verified leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V3 unranked; Inkling #17
BenchAlign evidence: DeepSeek V3 supported; Inkling not scored. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. DeepSeek V3 and Inkling share 2 comparable benchmark results. 4 of 8 categories are comparable. 21 results are unique to DeepSeek V3; 14 to Inkling.
Updated July 15, 2026- Shared results
- 2
- DeepSeek V3 only
- 21
- Inkling only
- 14
- Comparable categories
- 4 / 8
Pick Inkling if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V3 only becomes the better choice if knowledge is the priority or you want the cheaper token bill.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 2 shared benchmark results across 2 evidence categories; 4 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
Inkling is clearly ahead on the provisional aggregate, 69 to 38. The gap is large enough that you do not need to squint at the spreadsheet to see the difference.
Inkling's sharpest advantage is in mathematics, where it averages 97.1 against 1.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is SWE-bench Verified, 42% to 77.6%. DeepSeek V3 does hit back in knowledge, so the answer changes if that is the part of the workload you care about most.
Inkling is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.87 input / $4.68 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.27 input / $1.10 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V3. That is roughly 4.3x on output cost alone. Inkling is the reasoning model in the pair, while DeepSeek V3 is not. That usually helps on harder chain-of-thought-heavy tests, but it can also mean more latency and more token spend in real use. Inkling gives you the larger context window at 1M, compared with 128K for DeepSeek V3.
Category breakdown
Exact category averages are shown below. Not measured means BenchLM does not have enough sourced public coverage for that model and category.
| Category | DeepSeek V3 | Δ | Inkling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | DeepSeek V31.7 | Margin→ 95.4 | Inkling97.1 |
| Coding | DeepSeek V338.9 | Margin→ 29.7 | Inkling68.6 |
| Knowledge | DeepSeek V372.8 | Margin← 21.1 | Inkling51.7 |
| Inst. Following | DeepSeek V386.1 | Margin← 6.3 | Inkling79.8 |
| Agentic | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling69.4 |
| Multimodal | DeepSeek V3Not measured | MarginNo overlap | Inkling76.5 |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3 | Inkling | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | DeepSeek V3$0.27 input / $1.1 output | Inkling$1.87 input / $4.68 output | DeepSeek V3 has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | DeepSeek V3Not available | InklingNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | DeepSeek V3Not available | InklingNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | DeepSeek V3128K | Inkling1M | Inkling lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic8 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic IndexSource | 1.6% | — | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | 22.8% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 0.0% | — | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | 217 | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 63.8% | Not comparable |
| BrowseCompSource | — | 77.1% | Not comparable |
| MCP AtlasSource | — | 74.1% | Not comparable |
| Design Arena Agentic Web DevSource | — | 1258 | Not comparable |
CodingInkling wins7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBenchSource | 37.6% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 42% | 77.6% | Inkling leads |
| AA Coding IndexSource | 23.0% | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench HardSource | 6.8% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-SciCodeSource | 35.4% | — | Not comparable |
| SWE-bench ProSource | — | 54.3% | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | — | 63.8% | Not comparable |
Reasoning2 benchmarks
KnowledgeDeepSeek V3 wins11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | DeepSeek V3 | Inkling | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 59.1% | 87.9% | Inkling leads |
| MMLU-ProSource | 75.9% | — | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | 14.2% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | 55.7% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | 3.6% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | -41.3% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | 25.4% | — | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | 89.4% | — | Not comparable |
| GPQA-DSource | — | 87.9% | Not comparable |
| HLESource | — | 46% | Not comparable |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | — | 30% | Not comparable |
MathInkling wins2 benchmarks
Multimodal4 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (5)
Which is better, DeepSeek V3 or Inkling?
Inkling is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 69 to 38. The biggest single separator in this matchup is SWE-bench Verified, where the scores are 42% and 77.6%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V3 or Inkling?
DeepSeek V3 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.8 versus 51.7. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V3 or Inkling?
Inkling has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 68.6 versus 38.9. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, DeepSeek V3 or Inkling?
Inkling has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 97.1 versus 1.7. DeepSeek V3 stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Which is better for instruction following, DeepSeek V3 or Inkling?
DeepSeek V3 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 86.1 versus 79.8. Inkling stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Self-host vs API cost
Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.
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