API cost decision in 10 seconds

Inkling Small vs CoBuddy (free)

Pick CoBuddy (free) for lower cost; pick Inkling Small only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-08-20T20:08:03Z Data confirmed: 2026-08-23T13:07:49Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick CoBuddy (free) for lower cost; pick Inkling Small only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, CoBuddy (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickCoBuddy (free)

Context-first pickInkling Small

Sample savings$1.05100%

10x traffic gap$10.5

Inkling Small has more context, but CoBuddy (free) saves $1.05 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $10.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

CoBuddy (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Inkling Small	CoBuddy (free)
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	CoBuddy (free)	$2.85	$0
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	CoBuddy (free)	$1.65	$0
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	CoBuddy (free)	$6.45	$0

Cheaper input CoBuddy (free) $0.45 vs $0 / 1M

CoBuddy (free) is free for input tokens while Inkling Small costs $0.45 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output CoBuddy (free) $1.2 vs $0 / 1M

CoBuddy (free) is free for output tokens while Inkling Small costs $1.2 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Inkling Small 1.05M vs 131.07K

Inkling Small has 917.5K more context (8x larger).

Sample workload CoBuddy (free) $1.05 vs $0

CoBuddy (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.05.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Inkling Small Calculating… Estimated API cost

CoBuddy (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

CoBuddy (free) has the lower input price; CoBuddy (free) has the lower output price; Inkling Small offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, CoBuddy (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.05 for Inkling Small and $0 for CoBuddy (free).

Best Fit

Choose Inkling Small when you care most about larger context window.

Choose CoBuddy (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, CoBuddy (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower).
CoBuddy (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.05.
CoBuddy (free) is free for input tokens while Inkling Small costs $0.45 per 1M tokens.
CoBuddy (free) is free for output tokens while Inkling Small costs $1.2 per 1M tokens.
Inkling Small has 917.5K more context (8x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Inkling Small (Thinking Machines)	CoBuddy (free) (Baidu Qianfan)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.45	$0
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$1.2	$0
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.05	$0
Context Window	1.05M	131.07K
Release Date	2026-07-30	2026-05-06

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	CoBuddy (free)	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, CoBuddy (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower).
High-volume input processing	CoBuddy (free)	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	CoBuddy (free)	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Inkling Small	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Inkling Small (free) can replace Inkling Small when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Inkling (free) can replace Inkling Small when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

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.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
Hy3 · Tencent · #3
Ox Alpha · stealth · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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Thinking Machines catalog

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Baidu Qianfan catalog

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Inkling Small

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...

CoBuddy (free)

CoBuddy is a code generation model from Baidu, optimized for coding tasks and AI Agent workflows. It features high inference throughput and low end-to-end latency, with native support for tool...