Model comparison
MAI-Thinking-1 vs Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking
Head-to-head evidence from 2 shared benchmark results across 1 category. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Evidence parity. MAI-Thinking-1 and Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking share 2 comparable benchmark results. 2 of 8 categories are comparable. 11 results are unique to MAI-Thinking-1; 3 to Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 2
- MAI-Thinking-1 only
- 11
- Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking only
- 3
- Comparable categories
- 2 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. MAI-Thinking-1 makes more sense if knowledge is the priority or you need the larger 256K context window; Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking is the better fit if its strengths line up with your actual workload.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 2 shared benchmark results across 1 evidence category; 2 of 8 categories currently have scoreable aggregates for both models. Treat the verdict as directional until coverage is more balanced.
Why this result
MAI-Thinking-1 and Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking finish on the same BenchAlign overall score, so this is less about a single winner and more about where the edge shows up. The BenchAlign headline says tie; the benchmark table is where the real choice happens.
MAI-Thinking-1 gives you the larger context window at 256K, compared with 128K for Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking.
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 | MAI-Thinking-1 | Δ | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | MAI-Thinking-172.5 | Margin← 14.9 | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking57.6 |
| Inst. Following | MAI-Thinking-185.0 | Margin← 8.5 | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking76.5 |
| Agentic | MAI-Thinking-146.0 | MarginNo overlap | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot measured |
| Coding | MAI-Thinking-165.5 | MarginNo overlap | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot measured |
| Math | MAI-Thinking-189.7 | MarginNo overlap | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 84.2%B 57.6%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 26.6GPQA: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 84.2%; Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking scored 57.6%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark.
Operational comparison
Runtime and commercial metrics are compared only when both models have a complete sourced value.
| Metric | MAI-Thinking-1 | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot available | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-ThinkingNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | MAI-Thinking-1256K | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking128K | MAI-Thinking-1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
Coding3 benchmarks
Reasoning1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphwalks BFS 128KSource | 90% | — | Not comparable |
KnowledgeMAI-Thinking-1 wins5 benchmarks
Math3 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (3)
Which is better, MAI-Thinking-1 or Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking?
MAI-Thinking-1 and Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking are tied on the BenchAlign overall score, so the right pick depends on which category matters most for your use case.
Which is better for knowledge tasks, MAI-Thinking-1 or Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 72.5 versus 57.6. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for instruction following, MAI-Thinking-1 or Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 85 versus 76.5. Mellum2-12B-A2.5B-Thinking stays close enough that the answer can still flip depending on your workload.
Related Comparisons
Choose a model with this week’s evidence
Join 2,000+ readers for ranking moves, pricing changes, and the claims that still need proof.
One email each week. Unsubscribe anytime.