ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 vs Inkling
ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 took 50 min 46 s and $1.26 at list price, Inkling took 4 min 36 s and $0.13 at list price. ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 took 11× as long and cost 9.9× as much.
ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0
Baidu · $3.94/M out
Inkling
Thinking Machines · $4.05/M out · 4 HN pts
Pelican
Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
Landing
Build the landing page for Lumen Cycles, a Copenhagen workshop that builds custom cargo bikes to order. Make it look like a real brand you would trust with 4,000 euros.
Breakout
Make a Breakout game I can play right now with the keyboard or the mouse. Give it several levels, a score and some juice.
Logo
Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.
Specs and numbers
| ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 | Inkling | |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Baidu | Thinking Machines |
| Made in | — | US |
| Released | 10 Nov 2026 | 17 Jul 2026 |
| Price in, per M tokens | $1.13 | $1.00 |
| Price out, per M tokens | $3.94 | $4.05 |
| Context | 1,024,000 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Weights | closed | open |
| Hacker News points | — | 4 |
| Time for the four prompts | 50 min 46 s | 4 min 36 s |
| List price of the four prompts | $1.26 | $0.13 |
Inkling was cheaper: $1.13 less at list price, and less on each of the 4 prompts. Inkling was faster: 46 min 9 s less in total, and faster on each of the 4 prompts.
In the recording, both Breakout games play. ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 has no watch: not run yet. ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 has no About page: not run yet.
Rebuild this screen experiment: Inkling's rebuild matched the screenshot at 51%; ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 was not in it. Tea Garden experiment: Inkling's game passed 5 of 5 checks; ERNIE-Light-DT-1.0 was not in it.