Sakana Namazu is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (5% lower; 1.05x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Sakana Namazu vs Inkling
Pick Sakana Namazu for lower cost; pick Inkling 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 Sakana Namazu for lower cost; pick Inkling only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sakana Namazu is estimated at $2.95 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $0.07 (2.5% lower).
Cost-first pickSakana Namazu
Context-first pickInkling
Sample savings$0.072.5%
10x traffic gap$0.75
Inkling has more context, but Sakana Namazu saves $0.07 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.75. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Sakana Namazu stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Sakana Namazu | Inkling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Sakana Namazu | $6.75 | $7.03 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Sakana Namazu | $4.95 | $5.05 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Sakana Namazu | $20.95 | $21.25 |
Sakana Namazu is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (1.2% lower; 1.01x difference).
Inkling has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Sakana Namazu is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (2.5% 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
Sakana Namazu has the lower input price; Sakana Namazu has the lower output price; Inkling offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Sakana Namazu is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $2.95 for Sakana Namazu and $3.02 for Inkling.
Choose Sakana Namazu when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Inkling when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sakana Namazu is estimated at $2.95 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $0.07 (2.5% lower).
- Sakana Namazu is $0.07 cheaper on the standard workload (2.5% lower).
- Sakana Namazu is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (5% lower; 1.05x difference).
- Sakana Namazu is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (1.2% lower; 1.01x difference).
- Inkling has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
| Feature | Sakana Namazu (Sakana) | Inkling (Thinking Machines) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.95 | $1 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $4 | $4.05 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $2.95 | $3.02 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1.05M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Sakana Namazu | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sakana Namazu is estimated at $2.95 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $0.07 (2.5% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Sakana Namazu | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Sakana Namazu | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Inkling | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Inkling Small (free) can replace Inkling when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Inkling (free) can replace Inkling when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Inkling Small can replace Inkling 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.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
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Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsSakana catalog
Review all tracked Sakana models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Sakana modelsThinking Machines catalog
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Open Thinking Machines modelsSakana Namazu is a Japanese-specialized reasoning model from Sakana AI, based on Kimi K2.6 with additional training for Japanese language and business contexts. It is suited for Japanese instruction following,...
Inkling is an open-weight multimodal mixture-of-experts model from Thinking Machines Lab, with 41B active parameters out of 975B total. It is designed for general-purpose reasoning, coding, agentic and tool-use systems,...