Mistral Medium 3.5 vs Voxtral Small
Pricing verdict: Mistral Medium 3.5 vs Voxtral Small: Voxtral Small is cheaper for input-heavy usage ($0.10/M vs $1.50/M input tokens), while Mistral Medium 3.5 is better for long-context tasks (256,000 tokens).
Direct answer: choose Voxtral Small for lower token spend and choose Mistral Medium 3.5 when your workload needs longer context.
Compare API pricing, input and output token costs, context windows, and monthly estimates on one page so you can pick the right model fast.
Cost Comparison (1000 input + 500 output tokens, 100 requests/day)
Mistral Medium 3.5
Voxtral Small
Cost Differences
Voxtral Small costs less than Mistral Medium 3.5
Quick Recommendation
Winner for direct API pricing: Voxtral Small. At the default workload, Voxtral Small saves about $14.85/month ($180.675/year) versus Mistral Medium 3.5.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Mistral Medium 3.5 | Voxtral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Input Price | $1.50/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output Price | $7.50/1M tokens | $0.40/1M tokens |
| Context Window | 256,000 tokens | 32,000 tokens |
| Max Output | 32,768 tokens | 8,192 tokens |
| Category | flagship | efficient |
| Capabilities | textvisioncodereasoning | textaudiotranscription |
| Release Date | 4/29/2026 | 7/15/2026 |
Mistral Medium 3.5 vs Voxtral Small: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between Mistral Medium 3.5 and Voxtral Small depends on your priorities: cost efficiency, context length, or raw capability. Voxtral Small is the more affordable option at $0.10/1M input tokens — 93% cheaper than Mistral Medium 3.5. Meanwhile, Mistral Medium 3.5 offers a significantly larger context window at 256,000 tokens vs 32,000 for Voxtral Small.
These models target different tiers: Mistral Medium 3.5 is a flagship model while Voxtral Small is efficient. This means they're optimized for different workloads. Mistral Medium 3.5 is built for complex tasks that require deeper reasoning, while Voxtral Small offers better value for routine operations.
Output costs matter too. Mistral Medium 3.5 charges $7.50/1M output tokens vs $0.40 for Voxtral Small. For generation-heavy workloads (content creation, code generation, summarization), output pricing often dominates your bill. Voxtral Small has the edge here at $0.40/1M output tokens.
Multimodal capabilities: Mistral Medium 3.5 supports vision (image inputs) while Voxtral Small 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, reasoning)
- • You need longer outputs (up to 32,768 tokens)
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
Choose Voxtral Small when:
- • Budget is a primary concern
- • You're already using Mistral AI's API ecosystem
- • You're running high-volume, latency-sensitive workloads
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 Voxtral Small
- • Higher output cost than Voxtral Small
Voxtral Small
- • Input pricing: $0.10/M tokens
- • Output pricing: $0.40/M tokens
- • Context window: 32,000 tokens
- • Max output: 8,192 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)
Voxtral Small (Mistral AI)
Start using Mistral Medium 3.5 today
Sign Up for Mistral AI →Start using Voxtral Small today
Sign Up for Mistral AI →Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Mistral Medium 3.5 or Voxtral Small?▼
What is the context window difference between Mistral Medium 3.5 and Voxtral Small?▼
Which model is better for AI Chatbot?▼
Which model has better overall pricing for heavy usage?▼
Related Comparisons
Related Articles
Learn when to pick each model, then compare live pricing scenarios.