Moondream 3.1 is $0.2 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewMoondream 3.1 vs Inkling Small (batch)
Pick Inkling Small (batch) when budget and context both matter.
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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) when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (batch) is estimated at $1.1 vs $1.55 for Moondream 3.1, saving $0.45 (29% lower).
Cost-first pickInkling Small (batch)
Context-first pickInkling Small (batch)
Sample savings$0.4529%
10x traffic gap$4.5
Inkling Small (batch) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $4.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Moondream 3.1, balanced workload favors Inkling Small (batch), and output-heavy chatbot favors Inkling Small (batch).
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Moondream 3.1 | Inkling Small (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Moondream 3.1 | $2.75 | $3.1 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Inkling Small (batch) | $2.8 | $1.7 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Inkling Small (batch) | $12.8 | $6.5 |
Inkling Small (batch) is $1.3 cheaper per 1M output tokens (52% lower; 2.08x difference).
Inkling Small (batch) has 492.29K more context (16.4x larger).
Inkling Small (batch) is $0.45 cheaper on the standard workload (29% 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
Moondream 3.1 has the lower input price; Inkling Small (batch) has the lower output price; Inkling Small (batch) 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 $1.55 for Moondream 3.1 and $1.1 for Inkling Small (batch).
Choose Moondream 3.1 when you care most about lower input-token price.
Choose Inkling Small (batch) when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (batch) is estimated at $1.1 vs $1.55 for Moondream 3.1, saving $0.45 (29% lower).
- Inkling Small (batch) is $0.45 cheaper on the standard workload (29% lower).
- Moondream 3.1 is $0.2 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
- Inkling Small (batch) is $1.3 cheaper per 1M output tokens (52% lower; 2.08x difference).
- Inkling Small (batch) has 492.29K more context (16.4x larger).
| Feature | NewMoondream 3.1 (Moondream) | Inkling Small (batch) (Thinking Machines) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.3 | $0.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2.5 | $1.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.55 | $1.1 |
| Context Window | 32K | 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 $1.55 for Moondream 3.1, saving $0.45 (29% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Moondream 3.1 | 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 | Inkling Small (batch) | 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.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.47 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.35 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Step 5 Preview · StepFun · #2
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Open Thinking Machines modelsMoondream 3.1 is a vision-language model from Moondream, the successor to Moondream 3 Preview, with 9B total parameters and 2B active (mixture-of-experts). It handles visual question answering, captioning, OCR, and...
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...