ByteDance vs Thinking Machines
Verdict
- Thinking Machines's flagship leads: Inkling Small at 55.0 vs Doubao-Seed-Code at 52.4.
- Thinking Machines has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- Thinking Machines publishes more open-weights models (1 vs 0).
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | ByteDance | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | – | – |
| Under $2/M | – | Inkling Small 55.0$0.638/M |
| Under $10/M | – | Inkling Small 55.0$0.638/M |
| Any price | – | Inkling Small 55.0$0.638/M |
Line-up
| Metric | ByteDance | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 52.4 | 55.0 |
| Ranked models | 1 | 1 |
| Open-weights models | 0 | 1 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | – | $0.638 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | – | 133 |
| Release cadence, days | – | – |
| Last release | – | – |
| Next expected | – | – |
Data as of 10 Sept 2026. See ByteDance and Thinking Machines in full.