Inkling Small (batch) is $2.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (83.3% lower; 6x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewEmber-1 vs Inkling Small (batch)
Pick Inkling Small (batch) for lower cost; pick Ember-1 only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Inkling Small (batch) for lower cost; pick Ember-1 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (batch) is estimated at $1.1 vs $10.5 for Ember-1, saving $9.4 (89.5% lower).
Cost-first pickInkling Small (batch)
Context-first pickEmber-1
Sample savings$9.489.5%
10x traffic gap$94
Ember-1 has more context, but Inkling Small (batch) saves $9.4 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $94. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Inkling Small (batch) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Ember-1 | Inkling Small (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Inkling Small (batch) | $22.5 | $3.1 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Inkling Small (batch) | $18 | $1.7 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Inkling Small (batch) | $78 | $6.5 |
Inkling Small (batch) is $13.8 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92% lower; 12.5x difference).
Ember-1 has 524.29K more context (2x larger).
Inkling Small (batch) is $9.4 cheaper on the standard workload (89.5% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Inkling Small (batch) has the lower input price; Inkling Small (batch) has the lower output price; Ember-1 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Inkling Small (batch) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $10.5 for Ember-1 and $1.1 for Inkling Small (batch).
Choose Ember-1 when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Inkling Small (batch) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (batch) is estimated at $1.1 vs $10.5 for Ember-1, saving $9.4 (89.5% lower).
- Inkling Small (batch) is $9.4 cheaper on the standard workload (89.5% lower).
- Inkling Small (batch) is $2.5 cheaper per 1M input tokens (83.3% lower; 6x difference).
- Inkling Small (batch) is $13.8 cheaper per 1M output tokens (92% lower; 12.5x difference).
- Ember-1 has 524.29K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | NewEmber-1 (Fireworks) | Inkling Small (batch) (Thinking Machines) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $3 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $15 | $1.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $10.5 | $1.1 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 524.29K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Inkling Small (batch) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (batch) is estimated at $1.1 vs $10.5 for Ember-1, saving $9.4 (89.5% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Inkling Small (batch) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Inkling Small (batch) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Ember-1 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Inkling Small (free) can replace Inkling Small (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Inkling (free) can replace Inkling Small (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Inkling Small can replace Inkling Small (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.05.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- GLM 5.3 Flash offers 1.31M context with $0.4 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.19 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Pro · Xiaomi · #1
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
- Hy4 preview · Tencent · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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Open Thinking Machines modelsEmber-1 is a specialized reasoning model from Fireworks Research, built on [Kimi K3](https://openrouter.ai/moonshotai/kimi-k3). It is designed to make every token go further: it produces shorter reasoning traces, using roughly 40%...
Inkling Small is an open-weight multimodal mixture-of-experts model from Thinking Machines Lab, with 12B active parameters out of 276B total. It is positioned as the smaller, more efficient member of...