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Mistral Medium 3.5 vs o1-mini

Mistral Medium 3.5 vs o1-mini: o1-mini is cheaper for input-heavy usage ($1.10/M vs $1.50/M input tokens), while Mistral Medium 3.5 is better for long-context tasks (256,000 tokens).

Direct answer: choose o1-mini for lower token spend and choose Mistral Medium 3.5 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.

Mistral AI
Mistral Medium 3.5
vs
OpenAI
o1-mini

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

Mistral Medium 3.5

Per Request:$0.005250
Daily:$0.525
Monthly:$15.75
Yearly:$191.625

o1-mini

Per Request:$0.003300
Daily:$0.33
Monthly:$9.90
Yearly:$120.45

Cost Differences

$0.001950
Per Request
$0.195
Daily
$5.85
Monthly
$71.175
Yearly

o1-mini costs less than Mistral Medium 3.5

Quick Recommendation

Winner for direct API pricing: o1-mini. At the default workload, o1-mini saves about $5.85/month ($71.175/year) versus Mistral Medium 3.5.

Feature Comparison

FeatureMistral Medium 3.5o1-mini
ProviderMistral AIOpenAI
Input Price$1.50/1M tokens$1.10/1M tokens
Output Price$7.50/1M tokens$4.40/1M tokens
Context Window256,000 tokens128,000 tokens
Max Output32,768 tokens65,536 tokens
Categoryflagshipreasoning
Capabilities
textvisioncodereasoning
textreasoning
Release Date4/29/20269/12/2024

Mistral Medium 3.5 vs o1-mini: Which Should You Choose?

Choosing between Mistral Medium 3.5 and o1-mini depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. o1-mini is the more affordable option at $1.10/1M input tokens27% cheaper than Mistral Medium 3.5. Meanwhile, Mistral Medium 3.5 offers a significantly larger context window at 256,000 tokens vs 128,000 for o1-mini.

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 3.5 is a flagship model while o1-mini is reasoning. This means they're optimized for different workloads. Mistral Medium 3.5 is built for complex tasks that require deeper reasoning, while o1-mini offers better value for routine operations.

Output costs matter too. Mistral Medium 3.5 charges $7.50/1M output tokens vs $4.40 for o1-mini. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. o1-mini has the edge here at $4.40/1M output tokens.

Multimodal capabilities: Mistral Medium 3.5 supports vision (image inputs) while o1-mini is text-only. If your application needs image understanding, this narrows your choice.

Best Use Cases

Choose Mistral Medium 3.5 when:

  • • You need a larger context window (256,000 tokens)
  • • You need more capabilities (vision, code)
  • • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem

Choose o1-mini when:

  • • Budget is a primary concern
  • • You need longer outputs (up to 65,536 tokens)
  • • You're already using OpenAI's API ecosystem

Pros and Caveats at a Glance

Mistral Medium 3.5

  • Input pricing: $1.50/M tokens
  • Output pricing: $7.50/M tokens
  • Context window: 256,000 tokens
  • Max output: 32,768 tokens

Watch out for

  • Higher input cost than o1-mini
  • Higher output cost than o1-mini

o1-mini

  • Input pricing: $1.10/M tokens
  • Output pricing: $4.40/M tokens
  • Context window: 128,000 tokens
  • Max output: 65,536 tokens

Watch out for

  • Smaller context window than Mistral Medium 3.5

Try Different Scenarios

Use the calculator below to see how costs change with different usage patterns

Mistral Medium 3.5 (Mistral AI)

o1-mini (OpenAI)

Start using Mistral Medium 3.5 today

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Start using o1-mini today

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, Mistral Medium 3.5 or o1-mini?
o1-mini is cheaper for input tokens at $1.10 per million tokens vs $1.50 for Mistral Medium 3.5 — that's 27% savings on input costs.
What is the context window difference between Mistral Medium 3.5 and o1-mini?
Mistral Medium 3.5 supports 256,000 tokens while o1-mini supports 128,000 tokens — a difference of 128,000 tokens in favor of Mistral Medium 3.5.
Which model is better for AI Chatbot?
Both models support text. For ai chatbot, o1-mini is the lower-cost option, while Mistral Medium 3.5 offers a larger context window (256,000 vs 128,000 tokens). Choose o1-mini for budget sensitivity or Mistral Medium 3.5 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 3.5 costs about $15.75/month and o1-mini costs about $9.90/month. Overall, o1-mini has lower combined input + output rates ($1.10 in, $4.40 out) vs Mistral Medium 3.5.
Where can I compare Mistral AI and OpenAI API pricing beyond this model matchup?
See the Mistral AI vs OpenAI provider comparison page for lineup-level averages, then review each model page for exact per-token rates.

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