Inkling vs Solar Pro 4
Pricing, context window and real answers (August 2026)
Inkling (Thinkingmachines) and Solar Pro 4 (Upstage), 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 | Solar Pro 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Thinkingmachines | Upstage |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥178.7 | ¥5.28 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥723.74 | ¥21.11 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥541 | ¥16 |
| Context window | 524,288 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Release date | 7/17/2026 | 8/10/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, audio | text |
| Arena · overall | #81 · ELO 1,439 | #173 · ELO 1,376 |
| Arena · Japanese | #52 · ELO 1,425 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #80 · ELO 1,489 | #140 · ELO 1,448 |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Solar Pro 4: ¥21.11 per 1M output tokens, 97% less than Inkling.
- On the Overall arena board, Inkling ranks higher (#81; Solar Pro 4 is #173).
- On the Coding arena board, Inkling ranks higher (#80; Solar Pro 4 is #140).
- 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
Solar Pro 4
The word "strawberry" contains **3** 'r's. Here's the step-by-step breakdown:
1. **Spell out the word explicitly** to isolate each letter:
`s - t - r - a - w - b - e - r - r - y`
2. **Scan through the letters in order** and count every instance of the lowercase letter `r`:
- `s` → 0
- `t` → 0
- `r` → **1**
- `a` → 0
- `w` → 0
- `b` → 0
- `e` → 0
- `r` → **2**
- `r` → **3**
- `y` → 0
3. **Total the count**: The three `r`s appear at positions 3, 8, and 9 in the 10-letter word.
**Final count: 3**
11.4s215 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
Solar Pro 4
### What's Causing the Error
The error `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')` means that the `users` prop being passed to your `UserList` component is `undefined`. Since you're calling `.map()` directly on it, JavaScript throws an error because `undefined` doesn't have a `map` method.
This typically happens when:
- The parent component hasn't passed the `users` prop
- The prop is still loading (e.g., from an API call)
- The prop is conditionally undefined
---
### How to Fix It
You have a few options to handle this safely:
#### ✅ Option 1: Add a Default Prop Value (Recommended)
Provide a fallback empty array so `.map()` always has something to work with:
```j…
24.7s539 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
Solar Pro 4
Here’s a breakdown of the issues in the original function, followed by a refactored version and a detailed explanation of the improvements.
### 🔍 Key Issues in the Original Code
| Area | Problem |
|------|---------|
| **Import organization** | `import` inside the function is evaluated on every call. Imports should live at the top of the module. |
| **Exception handling** | Bare `except:` catches `SystemExit`, `KeyboardInterrupt`, and other fatal errors. Always catch specific exceptions (`requests.RequestException`). |
| **Loose equality** | `== True` is redundant and can cause subtle bugs. Use `if item["active"]:` or `.get()`. |
| **HTTP status handling** | Calling `.json()` only on `200`…
17.5s1172 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Inkling or Solar Pro 4?
- Per 1M output tokens, Inkling is ¥723.74 and Solar Pro 4 is ¥21.11 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Solar Pro 4 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Inkling and Solar Pro 4 compare?
- Inkling takes 524,288 tokens; Solar Pro 4 takes 524,288.
- Which ranks higher, Inkling or Solar Pro 4?
- Inkling ranks higher on the public arena (Inkling #52, Solar Pro 4 #173). Ranks move as the leaderboard updates.
- Can I use Inkling and Solar Pro 4 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "inkling" or "solar-pro4" 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 Solar Pro 4 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.