GPT-4 vs Codestral
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-4
OpenAIOriginal GPT-4. Most expensive OpenAI model, largely superseded by newer options.
| Input | $30.00/M |
| Output | $60.00/M |
| Context | 8K tokens |
| Best For | Legacy applications requiring GPT-4 specifically |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Codestral
MistralMistral's dedicated coding model. Open-weight and highly optimized for code generation and completion.
| Input | $0.300/M |
| Output | $0.900/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Code completion, code generation, IDE integration |
| Benchmark | 60/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-4 | Codestral | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68 | 60 | GPT-4 leads by 8pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 60 | 54 | GPT-4 leads by 6pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 70 | 64 | GPT-4 leads by 6pts |
| HumanEval | 86 | 82 | GPT-4 leads by 4pts |
| BigCodeBench | 54 | 44 | GPT-4 leads by 10pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-4 | Codestral | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.85 | $0.04 | Codestral saves $2.81 (99%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $22.50 | $0.29 | Codestral saves $22.21 (99%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $112.50 | $1.43 | Codestral saves $111.08 (99%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $6.75 | $0.07 | Codestral saves $6.67 (99%) |
Value Analysis (Price per Benchmark Score Point)
Lower is better — how much you pay for each point of benchmark performance.
| Model | Overall Score | Price per Score Point | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-4 | 68 | $0.441/pt | Higher cost per point |
| Codestral | 60 | $0.005/pt | Better value |
Codestral delivers the best value at $0.005 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-4
- + Original breakthrough model
- - Two generations behind
- - Expensive
Codestral
- + Code-specialized
- + Very cheap
- - Narrow focus
Verdict
Codestral is cheaper at $0.300/M, but GPT-4 scores higher on benchmarks (68 vs 60).
Choose Codestral for cost-sensitive projects, GPT-4 when performance matters most.
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