Skip to main content
BenchLM
Data

Inkling-Small vs MiniMax M3

Updated October 29, 2026. Rank says Inkling-Small is ahead. Price, access, and your workload can each overturn that. Public scores include evidence status and uncertainty.

Share or export
Share on XLinkedInAPI/MCP

Decision reading

Inkling-Small has the higher public score estimate, 49.5 versus 48.57, but the 90% score intervals overlap. Treat that as a lead, not a settled winner. 12 results are shared. Category rows resting on Estimated evidence or different benchmark sets are marked directional and do not name a winner.

Model A
Thinking Machines Lab logo

Thinking Machines Lab

49.5/100

Supported · Public rank #96

90% interval 32.4–66.6

Model B
MiniMax logo

MiniMax

48.57/100

Supported · Public rank #104

90% interval 32.6–64.5

Shared results
12
Inkling-Small only
16
MiniMax M3 only
16
Like-for-like categories
3 / 8
Supported: Inkling-Small and MiniMax M3How the comparison works

Which one for your work

Recommendations appear only when a shared evidence basis or an explicit operating constraint supports the call. Secondary and unsupported use cases stay disclosed below the initial list.

  • Coding work

    Code generation, repair, and software-engineering tasks

    MiniMax M3

    MiniMax M3 has the higher public coding point estimate, 37.4 to 36.9, with Supported evidence for both models. The conditional ranges do not establish rank confidence.

    Confidence: limited
  • Agentic work

    Tool use, computer use, and multi-step task completion

    MiniMax M3

    MiniMax M3 has the higher public agentic point estimate, 39.3 to 36.1, with Supported evidence for both models. The conditional ranges do not establish rank confidence.

    Confidence: limited
  • Chat turn cost

    1K fresh input + 500 output tokens

    MiniMax M3

    MiniMax M3 has the lower estimated token cost for this stated workload. Costs use the listed standard API rates.

    Confidence: listed-rates
Show secondary and unsupported calls
  • Cache-heavy agent loop cost

    200K cached + 20K fresh input + 10K output tokens

    MiniMax M3

    MiniMax M3 has the lower estimated token cost for this stated workload. Costs use the listed standard API rates.

    Confidence: listed-rates
  • Repository review cost

    50K fresh input + 3K output tokens

    MiniMax M3

    MiniMax M3 has the lower estimated token cost for this stated workload. Costs use the listed standard API rates.

    Confidence: listed-rates
  • Long documents

    Prompts that approach the documented context limit

    No clear pick

    The documented context windows are equal.

    Confidence: documented

Which one for a specific job

Choose a job from the LLM Selector's task catalog to see the category row it rests on, under the same basis rules as the table below. A directional row stays directional; choosing a job never creates a winner.

The same task catalog as the LLM Selector. Each job names the evidence surface it rests on; nothing here adds a new score.

36.9Inkling-Small37.4MiniMax M3

Like-for-like · BenchAlign v5.8

MiniMax M3 has the higher coding point estimate. Conditional score ranges do not establish rank confidence.

Coding scores combine specific tasks and setups. Match the editor, harness, and effort to your workflow.

Same basis rules as the category table below

What is actually comparable

Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results present for only one model describe coverage, not superiority.

2 categories rest on Estimated evidence or different evidence sets. Those rows remain visible for coverage context but do not name a winner.

Shape of the matched evidence

Only shared public evidence is shown. Sparse evidence stays a ruled list rather than being closed into a radar shape.

Too few matched category axes support a radar. The ruled list below shows only shared benchmark results; positions use each benchmark’s normalized display scale when available.

Bars run 0–100 on each benchmark’s normalized display scale

Category results, on a stated basis

Each row shows the public-lane category score for both models: the BenchAlign v5.8 lane for agentic, coding, and knowledge, and the weighted public rows elsewhere, with the same rank each model page reports. A row is like-for-like only when both scores rest on Supported evidence or the same weighted set. Directional and not-comparable rows remain visible, but they never receive a winner.

Agentic

Like-for-like
Inkling-Small
36.1
Supported · #86/135
MiniMax M3
39.3
Supported · #76/135
Basis
BenchAlign v5.8 lane · 5 vs 10 public rows
Reading
MiniMax M3 leads · intervals overlap

Coding

Like-for-like
Inkling-Small
36.9
Supported · #77/156
MiniMax M3
37.4
Supported · #75/156
Basis
BenchAlign v5.8 lane · 6 vs 10 public rows
Reading
MiniMax M3 leads · intervals overlap

Knowledge

Like-for-like
Inkling-Small
50.6
Supported · #75/179
MiniMax M3
54.3
Supported · #62/179
Basis
BenchAlign v5.8 lane · 6 vs 2 public rows
Reading
MiniMax M3 leads · intervals overlap

Multimodal

Directional only
Inkling-Small
67.3
#41/58
MiniMax M3
59.0
#48/58
Basis
Provisional lane · 2 vs 2 weighted rows
Reading
Directional only

Instruction following

Directional only
Inkling-Small
93.3
#10/157
MiniMax M3
93.8
#6/157
Basis
Provisional lane · 1 vs 0 weighted rows
Reading
Directional only

Reasoning

Not comparable
Inkling-Small
55.0
Unranked · 4 rankable rows
MiniMax M3
82.0
Unranked · 2 rankable rows
Basis
Provisional lane · 1 vs 0 weighted rows
Reading
Not comparable

Multilingual

Not comparable
Inkling-Small
Not ranked
MiniMax M3
Not ranked
Basis
Provisional lane · 0 vs 0 weighted rows
Reading
Not comparable

Math

Not comparable
Inkling-Small
69.8
#5/12
MiniMax M3
Not ranked
Basis
Provisional lane · 4 vs 1 weighted rows
Reading
Not comparable

Ranks count the models scored in each category’s lane, so the agentic, coding, and knowledge denominators (BenchAlign v5.8) differ from the provisional-lane categories. Unranked scores sit on the provisional lane’s scale but never name a winner. Like-for-like rows within 0.5 points read as a practical tie.

Supported evidence per lane · bars run 0–100Methodology

What each workload costs

Three fixed token mixes turn per-token rates into comparable decisions. Each scenario states context fit and whether cached input had to fall back to the published list-input rate.

Chat turn

1K fresh input + 500 output tokens

Inkling-Small
$0.0013
Fits in one request
MiniMax M3
$0.0009
Fits in one request

MiniMax M3 has the lower modeled cost

Costs use the listed standard API rates.

Repository review

50K fresh input + 3K output tokens

Inkling-Small
$0.03332
Fits in one request
MiniMax M3
$0.0186
Fits in one request

MiniMax M3 has the lower modeled cost

Costs use the listed standard API rates.

Cache-heavy agent loop

200K cached + 20K fresh input + 10K output tokens

Inkling-Small
$0.0492
Fits in one request
MiniMax M3
$0.03
Fits in one request

MiniMax M3 has the lower modeled cost

Costs use the listed standard API rates.

Cached input falls back to the list input rate only where a cached rate is unpublished

Specification differences

Sourced differences are shown directly. Missing facts stay explicit instead of being inferred from a model name or family.

Context window

Maximum documented context; output-token limits may be lower.

Inkling-Small

1M

MiniMax M3

1M

API model ID

Inkling-Small

Not sourced

MiniMax M3

Not sourced

Cached-input rate

A missing cached-input rate falls back to the listed input rate only in the stated workload estimate.

Inkling-Small

$0.116 per 1M cached input tokens

MiniMax M3

$0.06 per 1M cached input tokens

Documented inputs

Inkling-Small

Not sourced

MiniMax M3

Not sourced

Documented outputs

Inkling-Small

Not sourced

MiniMax M3

Not sourced

Provider availability

Inkling-Small

Not sourced

MiniMax M3

Not sourced

Reasoning profile

Inkling-Small

Hybrid

MiniMax M3

Non-Reasoning

Weight access

Inkling-Small

Open Weight

MiniMax M3

Open Weight

License

Inkling-Small

Open Weight

MiniMax M3

Open Weight

Release date

Inkling-Small

2026-07-30

MiniMax M3

2026-06-01

If you already use one of these models

Deployment change
The models list different providers, so authentication, endpoint behavior, limits, and feature support may change.
Quality signal
Inkling-Small has the higher public score estimate, 49.5 versus 48.57, but the 90% score intervals overlap.
Workload cost
Repository review: $0.03332 vs $0.0186. Cache-heavy agent loop: $0.0492 vs $0.03.
Context tradeoff
Both models list 1M.
Run the same representative tasks against both endpoints before changing production traffic.

Questions

Which is better, Inkling-Small or MiniMax M3?

Inkling-Small has the higher public score estimate, 49.5 versus 48.57, but the 90% score intervals overlap. The higher estimate is not a decisive winner because the uncertainty ranges overlap.

Which is better for coding, Inkling-Small or MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 has the higher public coding point estimate, 37.4 to 36.9, with Supported evidence for both models. The conditional ranges do not establish rank confidence.

Which is better for agentic tasks, Inkling-Small or MiniMax M3?

MiniMax M3 has the higher public agentic tasks point estimate, 39.3 to 36.1, with Supported evidence for both models. The conditional ranges do not establish rank confidence.

Which costs less, Inkling-Small or MiniMax M3?

For the stated presets, chat costs $0.0013 on Inkling-Small and $0.0009 on MiniMax M3; repository review costs $0.03332 and $0.0186; the cache-heavy agent loop costs $0.0492 and $0.03. Costs use the listed standard API rates.

Which has the larger context window, Inkling-Small or MiniMax M3?

Both models list the same context window, 1M.

Self-host vs API cost

Estimates at 50,000 req/day · 1000 tokens/req average.

Inkling-Small
API / mo$1,515
Self-host / moNot listed
Break-even—
Proprietary model — self-hosting not applicable.
MiniMax M3
API / mo$1,125
Self-host / mo$13,981
Break-even818M/day
Model the full break-even

Benchmark evidence

The full public result ledger is available for audit without forcing a wide desktop table onto a phone.

Browse raw public benchmark evidence44 rows

Agentic

  • Terminal-Bench 2.1

    Inkling-Small64.7%
    Source
    MiniMax M366.0%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • BrowseComp

    Inkling-Small77.4%
    Source
    MiniMax M383.5%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • MCP Atlas

    Inkling-Small79.6%
    Source
    MiniMax M374.2%
    Source

    Inkling-Small leads this result

  • Toolathlon-Verified

    Inkling-Small54.4%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • Terminal-Bench 2.1 (Vals)

    Inkling-Small55.1%
    Source
    MiniMax M353.6%
    Source

    Inkling-Small leads this result

  • OSWorld-Verified

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M370.1%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • Claw-Eval

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M374.5%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • BankerToolBench

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M376.1%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • ResearchClawBench

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M319.8%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • OSWorld 2.0

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M34.6%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • MazeBench

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M30%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

Coding

  • SWE-bench Verified

    Inkling-Small80.2%
    Source
    MiniMax M380.5%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • SWE-bench Pro

    Inkling-Small55.9%
    Source
    MiniMax M359%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • Terminal-Bench 2.1

    Inkling-Small64.7%
    Source
    MiniMax M366.0%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • SciCode

    Inkling-Small48.7%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • LiveCodeBench (Vals)

    Inkling-Small85.9%
    Source
    MiniMax M382.2%
    Source

    Inkling-Small leads this result

  • SWE-bench (Vals)

    Inkling-Small82.2%
    Source
    MiniMax M375.0%
    Source

    Inkling-Small leads this result

  • NL2Repo

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M342.1%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • VIBE V2

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M350.1%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • SVG-Bench

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M363.7%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • KernelBench Hard

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M328.8%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • OpenHarmony Bench

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M348.4%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

Reasoning

  • ARC-AGI-2

    Inkling-Small40.1%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • CritPt

    Inkling-Small8.3%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • ARC-AGI-1

    Inkling-Small84.00%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

Multimodal

  • MMMU-Pro

    Inkling-Small74%
    Source
    MiniMax M378.1%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • CharXiv

    Inkling-Small81.3%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • CharXiv w/o tools

    Inkling-Small77.4%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • OfficeQA Pro

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M345.1%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • OmniDocBench 1.5

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M391.6%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • VideoMMMU

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M384.6%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

  • Video-MME (with subtitle)

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M385.4%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

Knowledge

  • GPQA

    Inkling-Small89.5%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • GPQA-D

    Inkling-Small89.5%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • HLE

    Inkling-Small47.8%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • HLE w/o tools

    Inkling-Small31.6%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • GPQA Diamond (Vals)

    Inkling-Small83.6%
    Source
    MiniMax M392.7%
    Source

    MiniMax M3 leads this result

  • MMLU-Pro (Vals)

    Inkling-Small85.6%
    Source
    MiniMax M384.2%
    Source

    Inkling-Small leads this result

Instruction following

  • IFBench

    Inkling-Small82.2%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

Math

  • AIME26

    Inkling-Small95.5%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • HMMT Feb 2026

    Inkling-Small90.2%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • FrontierMath v2 (Tiers 1-3)

    Inkling-Small46.316%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • FrontierMath v2 (Tier 4)

    Inkling-Small17.073%
    Source
    MiniMax M3—

    Not directly comparable

  • USAMO 2026

    Inkling-Small—
    MiniMax M385.7%
    Source

    Not directly comparable

44 public results · 12 shared

Watch Inkling-Small vs MiniMax M3

One weekly email when material rank, price, or benchmark evidence changes make this matchup worth revisiting.

Read a sample issue

Join 6,100+ subscribers.

Last updated October 29, 2026