Model comparison
MAI-Thinking-1 vs ZAYA1-8B
Head-to-head evidence from 6 shared benchmark results across 3 categories. Overall scores shown here use the public BenchAlign v5 ranking lane.
Evidence parity. MAI-Thinking-1 and ZAYA1-8B share 6 comparable benchmark results. 3 of 8 categories are comparable. 7 results are unique to MAI-Thinking-1; 5 to ZAYA1-8B.
Updated July 23, 2026- Shared results
- 6
- MAI-Thinking-1 only
- 7
- ZAYA1-8B only
- 5
- Comparable categories
- 3 / 8
Treat this as a split decision. MAI-Thinking-1 makes more sense if instruction following is the priority or you need the larger 256K context window; ZAYA1-8B is the better fit if knowledge is the priority.
Confidence note. This is a partial-evidence comparison with 6 shared benchmark results across 3 evidence categories; 3 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 ZAYA1-8B 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 131K for ZAYA1-8B.
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 | ZAYA1-8B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inst. Following | MAI-Thinking-185.0 | Margin← 20.9 | ZAYA1-8B64.1 |
| Math | MAI-Thinking-189.7 | Margin← 9.3 | ZAYA1-8B80.4 |
| Knowledge | MAI-Thinking-172.5 | Margin→ 1.1 | ZAYA1-8B73.6 |
| Agentic | MAI-Thinking-146.0 | MarginNo overlap | ZAYA1-8BNot measured |
| Coding | MAI-Thinking-165.5 | MarginNo overlap | ZAYA1-8BNot measured |
Decisive benchmark drivers
The largest measured benchmark gaps in this matchup, with exact reported values.
More
- Source ↗
IFBench
Inst. FollowingA 85%B 52.6%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 32.4IFBench: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 85%; ZAYA1-8B scored 52.6%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
HMMT Feb 2026
MathA 84.9%B 71.6%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 13.3HMMT Feb 2026: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 84.9%; ZAYA1-8B scored 71.6%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
GPQA
KnowledgeA 84.2%B 71%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 13.2GPQA: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 84.2%; ZAYA1-8B scored 71%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
MMLU-Pro
KnowledgeA 85%B 74.2%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 10.8MMLU-Pro: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 85%; ZAYA1-8B scored 74.2%. MAI-Thinking-1 wins this benchmark. - Source ↗
AIME26
MathA 94.5%B 89.1%Winner: MAI-Thinking-1Δ 5.4AIME26: MAI-Thinking-1 scored 94.5%; ZAYA1-8B scored 89.1%. 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 | ZAYA1-8B | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / output priceUSD per 1M tokens | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | ZAYA1-8B$0 input / $0 output | A complete price comparison is not available. |
| Generation speedtokens per second | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | ZAYA1-8BNot available | A complete speed comparison is not available. |
| First-answer latencyseconds to first token | MAI-Thinking-1Not available | ZAYA1-8BNot available | A complete latency comparison is not available. |
| Context windowmaximum listed tokens | MAI-Thinking-1256K | ZAYA1-8B131K | MAI-Thinking-1 lists the larger context window. |
Benchmark Deep Dive
Agentic2 benchmarks
Coding4 benchmarks
Reasoning1 benchmarks
| Benchmark | MAI-Thinking-1 | ZAYA1-8B | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphwalks BFS 128KSource | 90% | — | Not comparable |
KnowledgeZAYA1-8B wins4 benchmarks
MathMAI-Thinking-1 wins5 benchmarks
Frequently Asked Questions (4)
Which is better, MAI-Thinking-1 or ZAYA1-8B?
MAI-Thinking-1 and ZAYA1-8B 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 ZAYA1-8B?
ZAYA1-8B has the edge for knowledge tasks in this comparison, averaging 73.6 versus 72.5. Inside this category, GPQA is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for math, MAI-Thinking-1 or ZAYA1-8B?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for math in this comparison, averaging 89.7 versus 80.4. Inside this category, HMMT Feb 2026 is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
Which is better for instruction following, MAI-Thinking-1 or ZAYA1-8B?
MAI-Thinking-1 has the edge for instruction following in this comparison, averaging 85 versus 64.1. Inside this category, IFBench is the benchmark that creates the most daylight between them.
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