API cost decision in 10 seconds

Inkling vs Grok Build 0.1

Pick Grok Build 0.1 for lower cost; pick Inkling only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-08-23T01:07:54Z Data confirmed: 2026-08-23T12:07:48Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Grok Build 0.1 for lower cost; pick Inkling only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $1.02 (33.9% lower).

Cost-first pickGrok Build 0.1

Context-first pickInkling

Sample savings$1.0233.9%

10x traffic gap$10.25

Inkling has more context, but Grok Build 0.1 saves $1.02 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $10.25. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Grok Build 0.1 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Inkling	Grok Build 0.1
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Grok Build 0.1	$7.03	$6
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Grok Build 0.1	$5.05	$3
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Grok Build 0.1	$21.25	$11

Cheaper input Tie $1 vs $1 / 1M

Both models report the same input price at $1 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Grok Build 0.1 $4.05 vs $2 / 1M

Grok Build 0.1 is $2.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (50.6% lower; 2.02x difference).

Larger context Inkling 1.05M vs 256K

Inkling has 792.58K more context (4.1x larger).

Sample workload Grok Build 0.1 $3.02 vs $2

Grok Build 0.1 is $1.02 cheaper on the standard workload (33.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Inkling Calculating… Estimated API cost

Grok Build 0.1 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

both models tie on input price; Grok Build 0.1 has the lower output price; Inkling offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Grok Build 0.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $3.02 for Inkling and $2 for Grok Build 0.1.

Best Fit

Choose Inkling when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Grok Build 0.1 when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $1.02 (33.9% lower).
Grok Build 0.1 is $1.02 cheaper on the standard workload (33.9% lower).
Both models report the same input price at $1 per 1M tokens.
Grok Build 0.1 is $2.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (50.6% lower; 2.02x difference).
Inkling has 792.58K more context (4.1x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Inkling (Thinking Machines)	Grok Build 0.1 (SpaceXAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$1	$1
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$4.05	$2
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$3.02	$2
Context Window	1.05M	256K
Release Date	2026-07-17	2026-05-20

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Grok Build 0.1	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok Build 0.1 is estimated at $2 vs $3.02 for Inkling, saving $1.02 (33.9% lower).
High-volume input processing	Tie	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Grok Build 0.1	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

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

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.

Larger context near this budget

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.

Popular competitors

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Ox Alpha · stealth · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

Thinking Machines catalog

Review all tracked Thinking Machines models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Thinking Machines models

SpaceXAI catalog

Check other SpaceXAI models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open SpaceXAI models

Inkling

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,...

Grok Build 0.1

Grok Build 0.1 is SpaceXAI’s fast coding model trained specifically for agentic software engineering workflows. It supports text and image inputs with text output, and is optimized for interactive coding...