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Mistral Medium 3.1 vs o3

Compare Mistral AI and OpenAI AI models

Mistral AI
Mistral Medium 3.1
vs
OpenAI
o3

Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)

Mistral Medium 3.1

Per Request:$0.001400
Daily:$0.14
Monthly:$4.20
Yearly:$51.10

o3

Per Request:$0.006000
Daily:$0.60
Monthly:$18.00
Yearly:$219.00

Cost Differences

+$0.004600
Per Request
+$0.46
Daily
+$13.80
Monthly
+$167.90
Yearly

o3 costs more than Mistral Medium 3.1

Feature Comparison

FeatureMistral Medium 3.1o3
ProviderMistral AIOpenAI
Input Price$0.40/1M tokens$2.00/1M tokens
Output Price$2.00/1M tokens$8.00/1M tokens
Context Window131,072 tokens1,000,000 tokens
Max Output16,384 tokens131,072 tokens
Categorybalancedreasoning
Capabilities
textcodereasoning
textreasoningvisioncode
Release Date8/1/20254/16/2025

Mistral Medium 3.1 vs o3: Which Should You Choose?

Choosing between Mistral Medium 3.1 and o3 depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Mistral Medium 3.1 is the more affordable option at $0.40/1M input tokens80% cheaper than o3. Meanwhile, o3 offers a significantly larger context window at 1,000,000 tokens vs 131,072 for Mistral Medium 3.1.

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: Mistral Medium 3.1 is a balanced model while o3 is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. o3 targets more demanding workloads, while Mistral Medium 3.1 provides a cost-effective option for everyday tasks.

Output costs matter too. Mistral Medium 3.1 charges $2.00/1M output tokens vs $8.00 for o3. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. Mistral Medium 3.1 has the edge here at $2.00/1M output tokens.

Multimodal capabilities: o3 supports vision (image inputs) while Mistral Medium 3.1 is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.

Best Use Cases

Choose Mistral Medium 3.1 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 (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

Mistral Medium 3.1 (Mistral AI)

o3 (OpenAI)

Start using Mistral Medium 3.1 today

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Start using o3 today

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, Mistral Medium 3.1 or o3?
Mistral Medium 3.1 is cheaper for input tokens at $0.40 per million tokens vs $2.00 for o3 — that's 80% savings on input costs.
What is the context window difference between Mistral Medium 3.1 and o3?
Mistral Medium 3.1 supports 131,072 tokens while o3 supports 1,000,000 tokens — a difference of 868,928 tokens in favor of o3.
Which model is better for AI Agent / Agentic Workflows?
Both models support text, code, reasoning. For ai agent / agentic workflows, Mistral Medium 3.1 is the lower-cost option, while o3 offers a larger context window (1,000,000 vs 131,072 tokens). Choose Mistral Medium 3.1 for budget sensitivity or o3 for longer context tasks.
Which model has better overall pricing for heavy usage?
At 100 requests/day with 1,000 input and 500 output tokens each, Mistral Medium 3.1 costs about $4.20/month and o3 costs about $18.00/month. Overall, Mistral Medium 3.1 has lower combined input + output rates ($0.40 in, $2.00 out) vs o3.

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