GPT-4o mini vs Mistral Small 3
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-4o mini
OpenAIAffordable small model. Fast and cost-effective for high-volume coding tasks.
| Input | $0.150/M |
| Output | $0.600/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding, cost-sensitive projects |
| Benchmark | 58/100 |
Mistral Small 3
MistralMistral's cost-effective model. Very affordable for general-purpose tasks.
| Input | $0.100/M |
| Output | $0.300/M |
| Context | 32K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, cost optimization |
| Benchmark | 42/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | GPT-4o mini | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 58 | 42 | GPT-4o Mini leads by 16pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 50 | 35 | GPT-4o Mini leads by 15pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 60 | 44 | GPT-4o Mini leads by 16pts |
| HumanEval | 78 | 65 | GPT-4o Mini leads by 13pts |
| BigCodeBench | 44 | 28 | GPT-4o Mini leads by 16pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-4o mini | Mistral Small 3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.02 | $0.01 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.01 (49%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.18 | $0.10 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.09 (48%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $0.92 | $0.47 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.44 (48%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.05 | $0.02 | Mistral Small 3 saves $0.02 (47%) |
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-4o mini | 58 | $0.003/pt | Higher cost per point |
| Mistral Small 3 | 42 | $0.002/pt | Better value |
Mistral Small 3 delivers the best value at $0.002 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
GPT-4o mini
- + Very cheap
- + Fast responses
- - Struggles with multi-step reasoning
Mistral Small 3
- + Ultra-cheap
- - Very limited capabilities
Verdict
Mistral Small 3 is cheaper at $0.100/M, but GPT-4o mini scores higher on benchmarks (58 vs 42).
Choose Mistral Small 3 for cost-sensitive projects, GPT-4o mini when performance matters most.
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