Model comparison

DeepSeek V4 Pro vs Inkling

Data verified July 15, 2026

Head-to-head evidence from 8 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.

DeepSeek V4 Pro

DeepSeek

60.27/100

Margin

8.7pts

winning →

Inkling

Thinking Machines Lab

69/100

0 category wins4 category wins

Verified leaderboard positions: DeepSeek V4 Pro unranked; Inkling #17

BenchAlign evidence: DeepSeek V4 Pro supported; Inkling not scored. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.

Evidence parity. DeepSeek V4 Pro and Inkling share 8 comparable benchmark results. 4 of 8 categories are comparable. 16 results are unique to DeepSeek V4 Pro; 8 to Inkling.

Updated July 15, 2026

Shared results: 8
DeepSeek V4 Pro only: 16
Inkling only: 8
Comparable categories: 4 / 8

Pick Inkling if you want the stronger benchmark profile. DeepSeek V4 Pro only becomes the better choice if you want the cheaper token bill or you would rather avoid the extra latency and token burn of a reasoning model.

Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 8 shared benchmark results across 3 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 64. 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 31.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is HLE, 7.7% to 46%.

Inkling is also the more expensive model on tokens at $1.87 input / $4.68 output per 1M tokens, versus $0.43 input / $0.87 output per 1M tokens for DeepSeek V4 Pro. That is roughly 5.4x on output cost alone. Inkling is the reasoning model in the pair, while DeepSeek V4 Pro 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.

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 scores and score margins for DeepSeek V4 Pro and Inkling
Category	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Δ	Inkling
Math	DeepSeek V4 Pro31.7	Margin→ 65.4	Inkling97.1
Agentic	DeepSeek V4 Pro59.1	Margin→ 10.3	Inkling69.4
Knowledge	DeepSeek V4 Pro41.7	Margin→ 10.0	Inkling51.7
Coding	DeepSeek V4 Pro65.3	Margin→ 3.3	Inkling68.6
Multimodal	DeepSeek V4 ProNot measured	MarginNo overlap	Inkling76.5
Inst. Following	DeepSeek V4 ProNot measured	MarginNo overlap	Inkling79.8

Decisive benchmark drivers

The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.

A · DeepSeek V4 ProB · Inkling

HLE
Knowledge
Source ↗
A 7.7%B 46%
Winner: InklingΔ 38.3
HLE: DeepSeek V4 Pro scored 7.7%; Inkling scored 46%. Inkling wins this benchmark.
GPQA
Knowledge
Source ↗
A 72.9%B 87.9%
Winner: InklingΔ 15
GPQA: DeepSeek V4 Pro scored 72.9%; Inkling scored 87.9%. Inkling wins this benchmark.
Terminal-Bench 2.0
Agentic
Source ↗
A 59.1%B 63.8%
Winner: InklingΔ 4.7
Terminal-Bench 2.0: DeepSeek V4 Pro scored 59.1%; Inkling scored 63.8%. Inkling wins this benchmark.
SWE-bench Verified
Coding
Source ↗
A 73.6%B 77.6%
Winner: InklingΔ 4
SWE-bench Verified: DeepSeek V4 Pro scored 73.6%; Inkling scored 77.6%. Inkling wins this benchmark.
SWE-bench Pro
Coding
Source ↗
A 52.1%B 54.3%
Winner: InklingΔ 2.2
SWE-bench Pro: DeepSeek V4 Pro scored 52.1%; Inkling scored 54.3%. Inkling wins this benchmark.

Operational comparison

Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.

Metric	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Comparison
Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens	DeepSeek V4 Pro$0.435 input / $0.87 output	Inkling$1.87 input / $4.68 output	DeepSeek V4 Pro has the lower combined listed price.
Generation speedtokens per second	DeepSeek V4 ProNot available	InklingNot available	A complete speed comparison is not available.
First-answer latencyseconds to first token	DeepSeek V4 ProNot available	InklingNot available	A complete latency comparison is not available.
Context windowmaximum listed tokens	DeepSeek V4 Pro1M	Inkling1M	Listed context windows are equal.

Benchmark Deep Dive

AgenticInkling wins

8 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
Terminal-Bench 2.0Source	59.1%	63.8%	Inkling leads
MCP AtlasSource	69.4%	74.1%	Inkling leads
ToolathlonSource	46.3%	—	Not comparable
Claw-EvalSource	59.8%	—	Not comparable
Gert LabsSource	50.28%	—	Not comparable
ResearchClawBenchSource	17.1%	—	Not comparable
BrowseCompSource	—	77.1%	Not comparable
Design Arena Agentic Web DevSource	—	1258	Not comparable

CodingInkling wins

5 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
LiveCodeBench Pass@1-COTSource	56.8%	—	Not comparable
SWE-bench VerifiedSource	73.6%	77.6%	Inkling leads
SWE-bench ProSource	52.1%	54.3%	Inkling leads
SWE MultilingualSource	69.8%	—	Not comparable
Terminal-Bench 2.0Source	59.1%	63.8%	Inkling leads

Reasoning

2 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
MRCR 1MSource	44.7%	—	Not comparable
CorpusQA 1MSource	35.6%	—	Not comparable

KnowledgeInkling wins

7 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
MMLU-ProSource	82.9%	—	Not comparable
SimpleQASource	45%	—	Not comparable
Chinese-SimpleQASource	75.8%	—	Not comparable
GPQASource	72.9%	87.9%	Inkling leads
GPQA-DSource	72.9%	87.9%	Inkling leads
HLESource	7.7%	46%	Inkling leads
HLE w/o toolsSource	—	30%	Not comparable

MathInkling wins

5 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
HMMT Feb 2026Source	31.7%	—	Not comparable
IMOAnswerBenchSource	35.3%	—	Not comparable
ApexSource	0.4%	—	Not comparable
Apex ShortlistSource	9.2%	—	Not comparable
AIME26Source	—	97.1%	Not comparable

Multimodal

4 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
Design Arena WebsiteSource	1269	—	Not comparable
MMMU-ProSource	—	73.5%	Not comparable
CharXivSource	—	82%	Not comparable
CharXiv w/o toolsSource	—	78.1%	Not comparable

Inst. Following

1 benchmarks

Benchmark	DeepSeek V4 Pro	Inkling	Result
IFBenchSource	—	79.8%	Not comparable

Frequently Asked Questions (5)

Which is better, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Inkling?

Inkling is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 69 to 64. The biggest single separator in this matchup is HLE, where the scores are 7.7% and 46%.

Which is better for knowledge tasks, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Inkling?

Inkling has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 51.7 versus 41.7. Inside this category, HLE is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for coding, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Inkling?

Inkling has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 68.6 versus 65.3. Inside this category, Terminal-Bench 2.0 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

Which is better for math, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Inkling?

Inkling has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 97.1 versus 31.7. DeepSeek V4 Pro stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.

Which is better for agentic tasks, DeepSeek V4 Pro or Inkling?

Inkling has the edge for agentic tasks in this comparison, averaging 69.4 versus 59.1. Inside this category, Terminal-Bench 2.0 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.

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Last updated: July 15, 2026

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