Model comparison
Inkling vs Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)
Head-to-head evidence from 5 shared benchmark results across 4 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Verified leaderboard positions: Inkling #17; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) unranked
BenchAlign evidence: Inkling not scored; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) estimated. Intervals and evidence labels describe ranking uncertainty, not a guarantee for a specific workload.
Evidence parity. Inkling and Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) share 5 comparable benchmark results. 4 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to Inkling; 23 to Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning).
Updated July 15, 2026- Shared results
- 5
- Inkling only
- 11
- Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) only
- 23
- Comparable categories
- 4 / 8
Pick Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) if you want the stronger benchmark profile. Inkling only becomes the better choice if agentic is the priority or you need the larger 1M context window.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 5 shared benchmark results across 4 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
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) finishes one point ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 70 to 69. That is enough to call, but not enough to treat as a blowout. This matchup comes down to a few meaningful edges rather than one model dominating the board.
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)'s sharpest advantage is in knowledge, where it averages 87.2 against 51.7. The single biggest benchmark swing on the page is BrowseComp, 77.1% to 60.6%. Inkling does hit back in agentic, 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 $0.60 input / $3.00 output per 1M tokens for Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning). Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is the reasoning model in the pair, while Inkling 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 Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning).
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 | Inkling | Δ | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Inkling51.7 | Margin→ 35.5 | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)87.2 |
| Agentic | Inkling69.4 | Margin← 14.4 | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)55.0 |
| Coding | Inkling68.6 | Margin→ 8.2 | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)76.8 |
| Multimodal | Inkling76.5 | Margin→ 2.0 | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)78.5 |
| Math | Inkling97.1 | MarginNo overlap | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not measured |
| Inst. Following | Inkling79.8 | MarginNo overlap | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
BrowseComp
AgenticA 77.1%B 60.6%Winner: InklingΔ 16.5BrowseComp: Inkling scored 77.1%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 60.6%. Inkling wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
Terminal-Bench 2.0
AgenticA 63.8%B 50.8%Winner: InklingΔ 13Terminal-Bench 2.0: Inkling scored 63.8%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 50.8%. Inkling wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMMU-Pro
MultimodalA 73.5%B 78.5%Winner: Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Δ 5MMMU-Pro: Inkling scored 73.5%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 78.5%. Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
SWE-bench Verified
CodingA 77.6%B 76.8%Winner: InklingΔ 0.8SWE-bench Verified: Inkling scored 77.6%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 76.8%. Inkling wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 87.9%B 87.6%Winner: InklingΔ 0.3GPQA: Inkling scored 87.9%; Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) scored 87.6%. Inkling wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | Inkling | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | Inkling$1.87 input / $4.68 output | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)$0.6 input / $3 output | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the lower combined listed price. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | InklingNot available | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | InklingNot available | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)Not available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | Inkling1M | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)128K | Inkling lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
AgenticInkling wins10 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Inkling | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 63.8% | 50.8% | Inkling leads |
| BrowseCompSource | 77.1% | 60.6% | Inkling leads |
| MCP AtlasSource | 74.1% | — | Not comparable |
| Design Arena Agentic Web DevSource | 1258 | — | Not comparable |
| APEX-Agents-AASource | — | 11.5% | Not comparable |
| τ²-bench resultsSource | — | 95.9% | Not comparable |
| Gert LabsSource | — | 32.58% | Not comparable |
| AA Agentic IndexSource | — | 21.7% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 25.4% | Not comparable |
| GDPval-AASource | — | 1009 | Not comparable |
CodingKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins7 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Inkling | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench VerifiedSource | 77.6% | 76.8% | Inkling leads |
| SWE-bench ProSource | 54.3% | — | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench 2.0Source | 63.8% | — | Not comparable |
| Vibe Code BenchSource | — | 17.54% | Not comparable |
| Terminal-Bench HardSource | — | 34.8% | Not comparable |
| AA-SciCodeSource | — | 49.0% | Not comparable |
| AA Coding IndexSource | — | 46.8% | Not comparable |
Reasoning2 benchmarks
KnowledgeKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins11 benchmarks
| Benchmark | Inkling | Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQASource | 87.9% | 87.6% | Inkling leads |
| GPQA-DSource | 87.9% | — | Not comparable |
| HLESource | 46% | — | Not comparable |
| HLE w/o toolsSource | 30% | — | Not comparable |
| MMLU-ProSource | — | 87.1% | Not comparable |
| Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexSource | — | 35.4% | Not comparable |
| AA-GPQA DiamondSource | — | 87.9% | Not comparable |
| AA-HLESource | — | 29.4% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience IndexSource | — | -8.1% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience AccuracySource | — | 34.3% | Not comparable |
| AA-Omniscience Hallucination RateSource | — | 64.6% | Not comparable |
Math2 benchmarks
MultimodalKimi K2.5 (Reasoning) wins5 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (5)
Which is better, Inkling or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) is ahead on BenchLM's provisional leaderboard, 70 to 69. The biggest single separator in this matchup is BrowseComp, where the scores are 77.1% and 60.6%.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, Inkling or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 87.2 versus 51.7. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for coding, Inkling or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for coding in this comparison, averaging 76.8 versus 68.6. Inside this category, SWE-bench Verified is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for agentic tasks, Inkling or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?
Inkling has the edge for agentic tasks in this comparison, averaging 69.4 versus 55. Inside this category, BrowseComp is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for multimodal and grounded tasks, Inkling or Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning)?
Kimi K2.5 (Reasoning) has the edge for multimodal and grounded tasks in this comparison, averaging 78.5 versus 76.5. Inside this category, MMMU-Pro is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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