Codestral vs o3
Compare Mistral AI and OpenAI AI models
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Codestral
o3
Cost Differences
o3 costs more than Codestral
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Codestral | o3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral AI | OpenAI |
| Input Price | $0.30/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.90/1M tokens | $8.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 128,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 131,072 tokens |
| Category | balanced | reasoning |
| Capabilities | textcode | textreasoningvisioncode |
| Release Date | 7/30/2025 | 4/16/2025 |
Codestral vs o3: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Codestral and o3 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Codestral is the more affordable option at $0.30/1M input tokens — 85% cheaper than o3. Meanwhile, o3 offers a significantly larger context window at 1,000,000 tokens vs 128,000 for Codestral.
These models come from different providers — Mistral AI and OpenAI — which means different API ecosystems, SDKs, rate limits, and terms of service. If you're already integrated with Mistral AI, switching to OpenAIinvolves migration effort beyond just pricing. Factor in your existing infrastructure when deciding.
These models target different tiers: Codestral is a balanced model while o3 is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. o3 targets more demanding workloads, while Codestral provides a cost-effective option for everyday tasks.
Output costs matter too. Codestral charges $0.90/1M output tokens vs $8.00 for o3. 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.
Multimodal capabilities: o3 supports vision (image inputs) while Codestral is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose Codestral when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Choose o3 when:
- • You need a larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
- • You need more capabilities (reasoning, vision)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 131,072 tokens)
- • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Codestral (Mistral AI)
o3 (OpenAI)
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