Meituan vs Thinking Machines
Verdict
- Their flagships are level: Longcat Flash 56.7 vs Inkling Small 56.0.
- Thinking Machines has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- Thinking Machines's fastest ranked model (Inkling Small, 206 tok/s) beats Meituan's (LongCat 2.0, 39 tok/s).
- Meituan publishes more open-weights models (2 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 | Meituan | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | – | – |
| Under $2/M | LongCat 2.0 50.0$0.525/M | Inkling Small 56.0$0.638/M |
| Under $10/M | LongCat 2.0 50.0$0.525/M | Inkling Small 56.0$0.638/M |
| Any price | LongCat 2.0 50.0$0.525/M | Inkling Small 56.0$0.638/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Meituan | Thinking Machines |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 56.7 | 56.0 |
| Ranked models | 3 | 1 |
| Open-weights models | 2 | 1 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.525 | $0.638 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 39 | 206 |
| Release cadence, days | – | – |
| Last release | – | – |
| Next expected | – | – |
Data as of 24 Sept 2026. See Meituan and Thinking Machines in full.