IBM vs Thinking Machines
Verdict
- Thinking Machines's flagship leads: Inkling Small at 53.4 vs Granite 4.2 30B at 50.0.
- Thinking Machines has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- IBM's fastest ranked model (Granite 4.2 3B, 214 tok/s) beats Thinking Machines's (Inkling Small, 158 tok/s).
- IBM publishes more open-weights models (10 vs 1).
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | IBM | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | – |
| Under $2/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | Inkling Small 53.4$0.638/M |
| Under $10/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | Inkling Small 53.4$0.638/M |
| Any price | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | Inkling Small 53.4$0.638/M |
Line-up
| Metric | IBM | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 50.0 | 53.4 |
| Ranked models | 7 | 1 |
| Open-weights models | 10 | 1 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.053 | $0.638 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 214 | 158 |
| Release cadence, days | 118 | – |
| Last release | 25 Aug 2026 | – |
| Next expected | 3 Nov 2026 – 6 Feb 2027 | – |
Data as of 13 Sept 2026. See IBM and Thinking Machines in full.