Codestral vs Mistral Medium 3.1
Codestral vs Mistral Medium 3.1: Codestral is cheaper for input-heavy usage ($0.30/M vs $0.40/M input tokens), while Mistral Medium 3.1 is better for long-context tasks (131,072 tokens).
Direct answer: choose Codestral for lower token spend and choose Mistral Medium 3.1 when your workload needs longer context.
Compare input and output token pricing, context windows, and monthly cost estimates on one page so you can pick the cheaper model fast.
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Codestral
Mistral Medium 3.1
Cost Differences
Mistral Medium 3.1 costs more than Codestral
Quick Recommendation
Winner for direct API pricing: Codestral. At the default workload, Codestral saves about $1.95/month ($23.725/year) versus Mistral Medium 3.1.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Codestral | Mistral Medium 3.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Input Price | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.90/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 128,000 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 16,384 tokens |
| Category | balanced | balanced |
| Capabilities | textcode | textcodereasoning |
| Release Date | 7/30/2025 | 8/1/2025 |
Codestral vs Mistral Medium 3.1: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Codestral and Mistral Medium 3.1 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Codestral is the more affordable option at $0.30/1M input tokens — 25% cheaper than Mistral Medium 3.1. Meanwhile, Mistral Medium 3.1 offers a significantly larger context window at 131,072 tokens vs 128,000 for Codestral.
Both models are in the balanced category, making this a direct head-to-head comparison. At scale — say 10,000 requests per day — the cost difference adds up: Codestral would save you roughly $195.00/month compared to Mistral Medium 3.1. For startups and indie developers, that difference can be significant.
Output costs matter too. Codestral charges $0.90/1M output tokens vs $2.00 for Mistral Medium 3.1. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. Codestral has the edge here at $0.90/1M output tokens.
Best Use Cases
Choose Codestral when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need longer outputs (up to 32,768 tokens)
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Choose Mistral Medium 3.1 when:
- • You need a larger context window (131,072 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (reasoning)
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Pros and Caveats at a Glance
Codestral
- • Input pricing: $0.30/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $0.90/M tokens
- • Context window: 128,000 tokens
- • Max output: 32,768 tokens
Watch out for
- • Smaller context window than Mistral Medium 3.1
Mistral Medium 3.1
- • Input pricing: $0.40/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $2.00/M tokens
- • Context window: 131,072 tokens
- • Max output: 16,384 tokens
Watch out for
- • Higher input cost than Codestral
- • Higher output cost than Codestral
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Codestral (Mistral AI)
Mistral Medium 3.1 (Mistral AI)
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