Grok 3 Mini vs Codestral
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
Grok 3 Mini
xAICost-effective xAI model for high-volume tasks. Good balance of capability and affordability.
| Input | $0.300/M |
| Output | $0.500/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume tasks, simple coding, cost-sensitive projects |
| Benchmark | 50/100 |
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 | Grok 3 Mini | Codestral | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 50 | 60 | Mistral Codestral leads by 10pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 42 | 54 | Mistral Codestral leads by 12pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 52 | 64 | Mistral Codestral leads by 12pts |
| HumanEval | 72 | 82 | Mistral Codestral leads by 10pts |
| BigCodeBench | 36 | 44 | Mistral Codestral leads by 8pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Grok 3 Mini | Codestral | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.03 | $0.04 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.01 (32%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.21 | $0.29 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.08 (28%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $1.02 | $1.43 | Grok 3 Mini saves $0.40 (28%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.07 | $0.07 | Grok 3 Mini saves <$0.01 (13%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok 3 Mini | 50 | $0.006/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
Grok 3 Mini
- + Budget option
- + Fast
- - Limited capabilities
Codestral
- + Code-specialized
- + Very cheap
- - Narrow focus
Verdict
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper at $0.300/M, but Codestral scores higher on benchmarks (60 vs 50).
Choose Grok 3 Mini for cost-sensitive projects, Codestral when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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