Inkling vs MiMo-V2.5
Pricing, context window and real answers (October 2026)
Inkling (Thinking Machines) and MiMo-V2.5 (Xiaomi), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
| Inkling | MiMo-V2.5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Thinking Machines | Xiaomi |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $1.01 | $0.1477 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $4.28 | $0.2954 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | $3.14 | $0.2954 |
| Context window | 524,288 tokens | 1,050,000 tokens |
| Release date | 7/17/2026 | 4/22/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, audio | text, audio, image, video |
| Throughput (p50) | 120 tokens/s (n=20) | 74 tokens/s (n=25) |
| Arena · overall | #95 · ELO 1,441 | #107 · ELO 1,434 |
| Arena · Japanese | #56 · ELO 1,430 | #151 · ELO 1,322 |
| Arena · coding | #91 · ELO 1,492 | #93 · ELO 1,491 |
Prices are FastMetal's rates, before tax.
Rankings: LMArena leaderboard dataset (lmarena-ai/leaderboard-dataset), CC BY 4.0, snapshot 2026-10-08; category names mapped and ratings rounded by FastMetal.
Which should you pick?
- On price, MiMo-V2.5: $0.2954 per 1M output tokens, 93% less than Inkling.
- On the Overall arena board, Inkling ranks higher (#95; MiMo-V2.5 is #107).
- On the Japanese arena board, Inkling ranks higher (#56; MiMo-V2.5 is #151).
- On the Coding arena board, Inkling ranks higher (#91; MiMo-V2.5 is #93).
- For long documents, MiMo-V2.5: a 1,050,000-token context window against 524,288 for Inkling.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Inkling
Let's break down the word **"strawberry"** letter by letter:
1. **s**
2. **t**
3. **r** ← (1st 'r')
4. **a**
5. **w**
6. **b**
7. **e**
8. **r** ← (2nd 'r')
9. **r** ← (3rd 'r')
10. **y**
So the spelling is: s-t-**r**-a-w-b-e-**r**-**r**-y
Counting them up:
- One 'r' in "str" (the 3rd letter)
- Two 'r's in "berry" (the 8th and 9th letters)
**Total: 3 'r's** in "strawberry".**
2.4s417 output tokens
MiMo-V2.5
# Counting the 'r's in 'strawberry'
Let me spell the word out letter by letter:
| Position | Letter | Is it 'r'? |
|----------|--------|------------|
| 1 | **s** | ❌ |
| 2 | **t** | ❌ |
| 3 | **r** | ✅ (1) |
| 4 | **a** | ❌ |
| 5 | **w** | ❌ |
| 6 | **b** | ❌ |
| 7 | **e** | ❌ |
| 8 | **r** | ✅ (2) |
| 9 | **r** | ✅ (3) |
| 10 | **y** | ❌ |
## Answer: **3** 'r's
The three r's are found at positions **3**, **8**, and **9** in the word.
14.9s313 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Inkling
The error occurs because `users` is `undefined` when `UserList` renders, so `users.map` fails.
This usually happens when:
- The parent doesn't pass the prop (`<UserList />` instead of `<UserList users={...} />`)
- Data is still loading (e.g., API hasn't returned yet)
## Quick Fix
Provide a default empty array so `.map` always has an array to work with:
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
```
Alternatively, guard against undefined explicitly:
```jsx
function UserList({ users }) {
if (!users) return null; // or a loading state
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={…
4.9s585 output tokens
MiMo-V2.5
This error occurs because your `users` prop is `undefined` when the component tries to call `.map()` on it. This usually happens when:
1. The parent component doesn't pass a `users` prop
2. The `users` data is still loading (asynchronous operation)
3. There's a typo in the prop name when passing from parent
## How to Fix It
### 1. Add Default Props or Prop Validation
Add a default value for the `users` prop:
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>)}
</ul>
);
}
// Or with PropTypes
import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
function UserList({ users }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => <li key…
11.2s808 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Inkling
Here is a review with an improved version followed by explanations.
### Issues in the original
- **Imports inside the function**: Re-importing on every call is inefficient.
- **Bare `except:`**: Catches `SystemExit`, `KeyboardInterrupt`, etc.
- **Silent failures**: No logging; errors disappear.
- **Magic numbers**: `10`, `2`, `200` are hard-coded.
- **Data validation missing**: Assumes `data` is a list and every item has `"active"`, `"name"`, and `"id"` (will crash with `KeyError`).
- **Performance**: Uses `.append()` in a loop instead of a list comprehension.
- **Ambiguous return**: `[]` means both "success with no results" and "total failure".
### Improved version
```python
import loggi…
54.1s5649 output tokens
MiMo-V2.5
# Code Review: `get_data` Function
## Issues Identified
| Category | Issue | Severity |
|----------|-------|----------|
| Style | Imports inside function body | Medium |
| Reliability | Bare `except` catches `KeyboardInterrupt`/`SystemExit` | High |
| Reliability | Silent failures — no logging | Medium |
| Readability | `== True` comparison (redundant) | Low |
| Readability | No docstring or type hints | Medium |
| Performance | Could use list comprehension | Low |
| Robustness | No exponential backoff on retries | Medium |
| Robustness | `r.json()` can fail silently under bare except | High |
| Style | Uninformative variable names (`r`, `i`) | Low |
| Config | Magic numbers hardcoded (`ti…
33.6s1854 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Inkling or MiMo-V2.5?
- Per 1M output tokens, Inkling is $4.28 and MiMo-V2.5 is $0.2954 on FastMetal (US dollars, before tax), so MiMo-V2.5 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Inkling and MiMo-V2.5 compare?
- Inkling takes 524,288 tokens; MiMo-V2.5 takes 1,050,000.
- Which ranks higher, Inkling or MiMo-V2.5?
- Inkling ranks higher on the public arena (Inkling #56, MiMo-V2.5 #151). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Inkling and MiMo-V2.5 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "inkling" or "mimo-v2.5" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Inkling and MiMo-V2.5 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.