---
title: "inkling-small - Model Details & Comparison"
description: "inkling-small from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models."
url: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/inkling-small"
markdown: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/inkling-small.md"
---

# inkling-small - Model Details & Comparison

> inkling-small from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models.

## Important Links

- [View MCP Gateway](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources/mcp-gateway.md)
- [Features](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/#features)
- [Enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise)
- [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md)
- [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)
- [Book a Demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo)

## About inkling-small

inkling-small is a chat model from OpenRouter, one of 491 chat models they offer. It is priced at $0.45 per 1M input tokens and $1.20 per 1M output tokens, ranking 1842 out of 4042 chat models by cost and cheaper than 54% of models in this category. inkling-small supports vision, function calling, reasoning, audio input, prompt caching. Its 524K-token context window is in the top 32% among chat models.

## Specifications

- **OpenRouter Provider.**
- **Chat Mode.**
- **524,288 Max Input Tokens.**
- **262,144 Max Output Tokens.**
- **262,144 Max Tokens.**
- **$0.45 / 1M tokens Input Price.**
- **$1.20 / 1M tokens Output Price.**

## Capabilities

inkling-small supports: Function Calling, Vision, Reasoning, Audio Input, Prompt Caching, Tool Choice.

## inkling-small Pricing Overview

At $0.45 per 1M input tokens and $1.20 per 1M output tokens, inkling-small ranks 1842 out of 4042 chat models by input cost. It is more affordable compared to the median of $0.60 for chat models, and is cheaper than 54% of models in this category.

inkling-small is one of 491 OpenRouter chat models, with support for vision, function calling, reasoning, audio input, prompt caching. its 524K-token context window places it in the top 32% of chat models.

## Models to Compare

Alternatives to inkling-small with comparable capabilities.

| Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| databricks-gemini-2-5-flash | Databricks | $0.37 | $3.13 |
| gemini-3-flash-preview | Vertex AI | $0.50 | $3.00 |
| gemini-3-flash-preview | Google Gemini | $0.50 | $3.00 |
| mimo-v2.6-pro | Xiaomi | $0.43 | $0.87 |
| apac.amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0 | AWS Bedrock | $0.40 | $3.31 |

- [Compare gemini-3-flash-preview](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/vertex_ai/gemini-3-flash-preview.md)
- [Compare gemini-3-flash-preview](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/gemini/gemini-3-flash-preview.md)

## Related Resources

- [Calculate inkling-small costs](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter/model/inkling-small.md)
- [Check OpenRouter status](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/provider-status/openrouter.md)
- [All OpenRouter pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter.md)

## FAQ

### Is inkling-small cheaper than databricks-gemini-2-5-flash?

No. inkling-small costs $0.45 per 1M input tokens while databricks-gemini-2-5-flash costs $0.37 per 1M input tokens, making databricks-gemini-2-5-flash 17% more affordable for input. However, inkling-small may offer different capabilities or performance characteristics that justify the price difference.

### How does inkling-small pricing compare to the average chat model?

inkling-small input pricing is $0.45 per 1M tokens, which is 25% below the median of $0.60 for chat models. It ranks 1842 out of 4042 chat models by input cost, making it cheaper than 54% of models in this category. For output, it costs $1.20 per 1M tokens compared to the median of $1.80.

### What makes inkling-small different from other OpenRouter models?

Among OpenRouter's 491 chat models, inkling-small ranks 212 by input cost.

### What are the best alternatives to inkling-small?

The most comparable chat models to inkling-small are: databricks-gemini-2-5-flash from Databricks ($0.37/1M input tokens); gemini-3-flash-preview from Vertex AI ($0.50/1M input tokens); gemini-3-flash-preview from Google Gemini ($0.50/1M input tokens); mimo-v2.6-pro from Xiaomi ($0.43/1M input tokens). These alternatives were selected based on similar capabilities, pricing, and provider diversity. You can compare any of these models in detail using the Bifrost Model Library.

### How do I check if OpenRouter is down?

You can monitor OpenRouter service health in real time on the Bifrost OpenRouter Status page. It tracks current component status, active incidents, and historical reliability data pulled from the official status page every 60 seconds.

### How do I calculate inkling-small costs?

inkling-small is priced based on input and output tokens. Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to estimate costs for your specific workload. Enter your expected input and output tokens volume and the calculator will show the total cost breakdown. For reference, processing 1M input tokens costs $0.45 and generating 1M output tokens costs $1.20.

## Related Resources

- [Model library](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library.md)
- [LLM cost calculator](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator.md)
- [Docs: Bifrost docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub: maximhq/bifrost](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)
- [Pricing: Bifrost pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing.md)
- [Enterprise: Bifrost enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise)
- [Book a Demo: Bifrost demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo)
- [Resources: Bifrost resources](https://www.getmaxim.ai/resources.md)

---

*This is a markdown version of [https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/inkling-small](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/inkling-small) for AI/LLM consumption.*
