GPT-4.1 vs Mistral Small 3
Long-context workhorse still on the menu. Meanwhile, mistral small 3: small, open-weights, surprisingly sharp.
Side-by-side
Specs
| Dimension | GPT-4.1 | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Mistral |
| Released | 2025-04 | 2025-09 |
| Context window | ✓1M | 128K |
| Output max | ✓32K | 8K |
| Input /M | $2.00 | ✓$0.20 |
| Output /M | $8.00 | ✓$0.60 |
| Modalities | ✓text, image | text |
| Open weights | no | ✓yes |
Scorecard
Dimension-by-dimension
GPT-4.1
Mistral Small 3
reasoning
8.0
6.0
coding
9.0
7.0
writing
8.0
7.0
speed
7.0
9.0
value
8.0
10.0
Verdict
Which wins, by use case
| Use case | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| coding | GPT-4.1 | a clear edge on our weighted coding score |
| writing | GPT-4.1 | a coin flip on our weighted writing score |
| chat | Mistral Small 3 | a clear edge on our weighted chat score |
| agents | GPT-4.1 | a clear edge on our weighted agents score |
| summarization | Mistral Small 3 | a decisive lead on our weighted summarization score |
| translation | Mistral Small 3 | a clear edge on our weighted translation score |
| reasoning | GPT-4.1 | a decisive lead on our weighted reasoning score |
| research | GPT-4.1 | a coin flip on our weighted research score |
| vision and multimodal | GPT-4.1 | a coin flip on our weighted vision score |
| Cheapest AI models for bulk workloads | Mistral Small 3 | a decisive lead on our weighted cheap-bulk score |
Bottom line
Our take
Pick GPT-4.1 if you need: huge context, reliable tool use.
Pick Mistral Small 3 if you need: tiny cost, open weights.
At a 500M-input / 150M-output monthly volume, GPT-4.1 costs roughly $2200 vs Mistral Small 3 at $190. Use our calculator to plug in your own numbers.
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