Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Inkling Small vs Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20
Pick Inkling Small 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 when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small is estimated at $1.05 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.15 (12.5% lower).
Cost-first pickInkling Small
Context-first pickInkling Small
Sample savings$0.1512.5%
10x traffic gap$1.5
Inkling Small is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.5. 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 Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, balanced workload favors Inkling Small, and output-heavy chatbot favors Inkling Small.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Inkling Small | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 | $2.85 | $2.4 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Inkling Small | $1.65 | $2.1 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Inkling Small | $6.45 | $9.3 |
Inkling Small is $0.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
Inkling Small has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).
Inkling Small is $0.15 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% 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
Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 has the lower input price; Inkling Small has the lower output price; Inkling Small offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Inkling Small 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 $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20.
Choose Inkling Small when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when you care most about lower input-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small is estimated at $1.05 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.15 (12.5% lower).
- Inkling Small is $0.15 cheaper on the standard workload (12.5% lower).
- Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 is $0.15 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Inkling Small is $0.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Inkling Small has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).
| Feature | Inkling Small (Thinking Machines) | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 (Qwen) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.45 | $0.3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.2 | $1.8 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.05 | $1.2 |
| Context Window | 1.05M | 1M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Inkling Small | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Inkling Small is estimated at $1.05 vs $1.2 for Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20, saving $0.15 (12.5% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Inkling Small | 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
- 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.
- Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.5 Plus 2026-04-20 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- 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
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Open provider hubsThinking Machines catalog
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