Mistral Nemo vs GPT-4.1 mini
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
Mistral Nemo
MistralCompact 12B open-weight model co-developed with NVIDIA. Excellent coding performance at minimal cost.
| Input | $0.150/M |
| Output | $0.150/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Self-hosted deployments, cost-sensitive coding, edge deployments |
| Benchmark | 48/100 |
GPT-4.1 mini
OpenAICost-optimized GPT-4.1 variant. Strong coding capability at budget pricing, replacing GPT-4o mini for many use cases.
| Input | $0.400/M |
| Output | $1.60/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | High-volume coding, cost-sensitive projects, automation |
| Benchmark | 68/100 |
Benchmark Performance Comparison
Third-party benchmark scores — higher is better. Data sourced from SWE-bench, LiveCodeBench, HumanEval, and BigCodeBench.
| Benchmark | Mistral Nemo | GPT-4.1 mini | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48 | 68 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 20pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 40 | 62 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 22pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 50 | 70 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 20pts |
| HumanEval | 70 | 86 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 16pts |
| BigCodeBench | 32 | 54 | GPT-4.1 Mini leads by 22pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | Mistral Nemo | GPT-4.1 mini | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | <$0.01 | $0.06 | Mistral Nemo saves $0.05 (84%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.08 | $0.46 | Mistral Nemo saves $0.38 (82%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $0.41 | $2.30 | Mistral Nemo saves $1.89 (82%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.03 | $0.11 | Mistral Nemo saves $0.08 (73%) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mistral Nemo | 48 | $0.002/pt | Better value |
| GPT-4.1 mini | 68 | $0.022/pt | Higher cost per point |
Mistral Nemo delivers the best value at $0.002 per score point.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Mistral Nemo
- + Open weight
- + Self-hostable
- - Basic coding ability
GPT-4.1 mini
- + Good value
- + Latest architecture
- - Mini variant limitations
Verdict
Mistral Nemo is cheaper at $0.150/M, but GPT-4.1 mini scores higher on benchmarks (68 vs 48).
Choose Mistral Nemo for cost-sensitive projects, GPT-4.1 mini when performance matters most.
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