Ministral 3 14B vs Mistral Medium 3
Ministral 3 14B vs Mistral Medium 3: Ministral 3 14B is cheaper for input-heavy usage ($0.20/M vs $0.40/M input tokens), while Ministral 3 14B is better for long-context tasks (256,000 tokens).
Direct answer: choose Ministral 3 14B for lower token spend and choose Ministral 3 14B 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)
Ministral 3 14B
Mistral Medium 3
Cost Differences
Mistral Medium 3 costs more than Ministral 3 14B
Quick Recommendation
Winner for direct API pricing: Ministral 3 14B. At the default workload, Ministral 3 14B saves about $3.30/month ($40.15/year) versus Mistral Medium 3.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Ministral 3 14B | Mistral Medium 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Input Price | $0.20/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $0.20/1M tokens | $2.00/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 256,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 16,384 tokens |
| Category | balanced | balanced |
| Capabilities | textvision | textcode |
| Release Date | 12/2/2025 | 5/7/2025 |
Ministral 3 14B vs Mistral Medium 3: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Ministral 3 14B and Mistral Medium 3 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Ministral 3 14B is the more affordable option at $0.20/1M input tokens — 50% cheaper than Mistral Medium 3. Meanwhile, Ministral 3 14B offers a significantly larger context window at 256,000 tokens vs 128,000 for Mistral Medium 3.
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: Ministral 3 14B would save you roughly $330.00/month compared to Mistral Medium 3. For startups and indie developers, that difference can be significant.
Output costs matter too. Ministral 3 14B charges $0.20/1M output tokens vs $2.00 for Mistral Medium 3. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. Ministral 3 14B has the edge here at $0.20/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: Ministral 3 14B supports vision (image inputs) while Mistral Medium 3 is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose Ministral 3 14B when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need a larger context window (256,000 tokens)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 32,768 tokens)
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Choose Mistral Medium 3 when:
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Pros and Caveats at a Glance
Ministral 3 14B
- • Input pricing: $0.20/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $0.20/M tokens
- • Context window: 256,000 tokens
- • Max output: 32,768 tokens
Watch out for
- • Trade-offs are minor in this matchup.
Mistral Medium 3
- • Input pricing: $0.40/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $2.00/M tokens
- • Context window: 128,000 tokens
- • Max output: 16,384 tokens
Watch out for
- • Higher input cost than Ministral 3 14B
- • Higher output cost than Ministral 3 14B
- • Smaller context window than Ministral 3 14B
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Ministral 3 14B (Mistral AI)
Mistral Medium 3 (Mistral AI)
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Which is cheaper, Ministral 3 14B or Mistral Medium 3?▼
What is the context window difference between Ministral 3 14B and Mistral Medium 3?▼
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