Mistral vs xAI
Complete comparison of Mistral (10 models) and xAI (7 models) for AI coding projects. Updated April 2026.
Quick Verdict
Mistral offers 10 models ranging from $0.100 to $2.00 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Mistral Small 3.
xAI offers 7 models ranging from $0.300 to $5.00 per million input tokens. Cheapest: Grok 3 Mini.
Winner on price: Mistral ($0.100/M input). Winner on average: Mistral (avg $0.920/M).
Winner Per Scenario
Which provider has the cheapest model for each coding scenario?
| Scenario | Mistral Best | xAI Best | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | Mistral Nemo — <$0.01 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.03 | Mistral wins by $0.02 |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | Mistral Nemo — $0.08 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.21 | Mistral wins by $0.12 |
| Large Project (50K lines) | Mistral Nemo — $0.41 | Grok 3 Mini — $1.02 | Mistral wins by $0.61 |
| Code Review (5K lines) | Mistral Small 3 — $0.02 | Grok 3 Mini — $0.07 | Mistral wins by $0.04 |
Head-to-Head Model Comparisons
Each Mistral model matched against its closest-priced xAI competitor. Medium project cost (500K input + 200K output).
| Mistral | xAI | Cost | Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mistral Large 2 | Grok 2 | $1.90 | $2.70 | Mistral Large 2 saves $0.80 (30%) |
| Mistral Small 3 | Grok 3 Mini | $0.10 | $0.21 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.11 (54%) |
| Mistral Medium | Grok 3 Mini | $0.54 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.34 (62%) |
| Mistral Nemo | Grok 3 Mini | $0.08 | $0.21 | Mistral Nemo saves $0.12 (60%) |
| Mistral Large 3 | Grok 2 | $1.90 | $2.70 | Mistral Large 3 saves $0.80 (30%) |
| Codestral | Grok 3 Mini | $0.29 | $0.21 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.08 (28%) |
| Mistral Small 3 | Grok 3 Mini | $0.10 | $0.21 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.11 (54%) |
| Mistral Large 24.07 | Grok 2 | $1.90 | $2.70 | Mistral Large 24.07 saves $0.80 (30%) |
| Pixtral Large | Grok 2 | $1.90 | $2.70 | Pixtral Large saves $0.80 (30%) |
| Pixtral 12B | Grok 3 Mini | $0.08 | $0.21 | Pixtral 12B saves $0.12 (60%) |
Full Ranking — All 17 Models
Every model from both providers, ranked by medium project cost.
| # | Model | Provider | Input ($/M) | Medium Project |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mistral Nemo | Mistral | $0.150 | $0.08 |
| 2 | Pixtral 12B | Mistral | $0.150 | $0.08 |
| 3 | Mistral Small 3 | Mistral | $0.100 | $0.10 |
| 4 | Mistral Small 3 | Mistral | $0.100 | $0.10 |
| 5 | Grok 3 Mini | xAI | $0.300 | $0.21 |
| 6 | Codestral | Mistral | $0.300 | $0.29 |
| 7 | Mistral Medium | Mistral | $0.400 | $0.54 |
| 8 | Mistral Large 2 | Mistral | $2.00 | $1.90 |
| 9 | Mistral Large 3 | Mistral | $2.00 | $1.90 |
| 10 | Mistral Large 24.07 | Mistral | $2.00 | $1.90 |
| 11 | Pixtral Large | Mistral | $2.00 | $1.90 |
| 12 | Grok Code | xAI | $1.50 | $2.02 |
| 13 | Grok 2 | xAI | $2.00 | $2.70 |
| 14 | Grok 2 Vision | xAI | $2.00 | $2.70 |
| 15 | Grok 3 | xAI | $3.00 | $4.05 |
| 16 | Grok 3 Vision | xAI | $5.00 | $5.75 |
| 17 | Grok 4 | xAI | $5.00 | $6.75 |
Explore Individual Comparisons
Detailed side-by-side comparisons between specific models.