Inkling Small (free) is free for input tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $0.15 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Inkling Small (free) vs Perceptron Mk1
Pick Inkling Small (free) when budget and context both matter.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Inkling Small (free) when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickInkling Small (free)
Context-first pickInkling Small (free)
Sample savings$0.9100%
10x traffic gap$9
Inkling Small (free) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Inkling Small (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Inkling Small (free) | Perceptron Mk1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Inkling Small (free) | $0 | $1.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Inkling Small (free) | $0 | $1.65 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Inkling Small (free) | $0 | $7.65 |
Inkling Small (free) is free for output tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
Inkling Small (free) has 229.38K more context (8x larger).
Inkling Small (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.9.
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 (free) has the lower input price; Inkling Small (free) has the lower output price; Inkling Small (free) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Inkling Small (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Inkling Small (free) and $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1.
Choose Inkling Small (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Perceptron Mk1 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower).
- Inkling Small (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.9.
- Inkling Small (free) is free for input tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $0.15 per 1M tokens.
- Inkling Small (free) is free for output tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
- Inkling Small (free) has 229.38K more context (8x larger).
| Feature | Inkling Small (free) (Thinking Machines) | Perceptron Mk1 (Perceptron) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.15 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $1.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $0.9 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 32.77K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Inkling Small (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Inkling Small (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Inkling Small (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Inkling Small (free) | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.
- 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.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 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
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
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Open provider hubsThinking Machines catalog
Review all tracked Thinking Machines models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Thinking Machines modelsPerceptron catalog
Check other Perceptron models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
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