Mistral Large 3 vs Mistral Small 4
Compare Mistral AI and Mistral AI AI models
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Mistral Large 3
Mistral Small 4
Cost Differences
Mistral Small 4 costs less than Mistral Large 3
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mistral Large 3 | Mistral Small 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Input Price | $0.50/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $1.50/1M tokens | $0.60/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 256,000 tokens | 128,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 16,384 tokens |
| Category | flagship | efficient |
| Capabilities | textcodereasoning | textvisioncodereasoning |
| Release Date | 12/2/2025 | 3/18/2026 |
Mistral Large 3 vs Mistral Small 4: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Mistral Large 3 and Mistral Small 4 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Mistral Small 4 is the more affordable option at $0.15/1M input tokens — 70% cheaper than Mistral Large 3. Meanwhile, Mistral Large 3 offers a significantly larger context window at 256,000 tokens vs 128,000 for Mistral Small 4.
These models target different tiers: Mistral Large 3 is a flagship model while Mistral Small 4 is efficient. This means they're optimized for different workloads. Mistral Large 3 is built for complex tasks that require deeper reasoning, while Mistral Small 4 offers better value for routine operations.
Output costs matter too. Mistral Large 3 charges $1.50/1M output tokens vs $0.60 for Mistral Small 4. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. Mistral Small 4 has the edge here at $0.60/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: Mistral Small 4 supports vision (image inputs) while Mistral Large 3 is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.
Best Use Cases
Choose Mistral Large 3 when:
- • 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 Small 4 when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You need more capabilities (vision)
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
- • You're running high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads
Try Different Scenarios
Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns
Mistral Large 3 (Mistral AI)
Mistral Small 4 (Mistral AI)
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