OpenAI o1 vs Mistral Small 3
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
OpenAI o1
OpenAIReasoning model optimized for complex problem-solving. Excels at math, science, and advanced coding.
| Input | $15.00/M |
| Output | $60.00/M |
| Context | 200K tokens |
| Best For | Complex math, advanced coding, scientific reasoning |
| Benchmark | 83/100 |
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 | OpenAI o1 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83 | 42 | o1 leads by 41pts |
| SWE-bench Verified | 80 | 35 | o1 leads by 45pts |
| LiveCodeBench | 84 | 44 | o1 leads by 40pts |
| HumanEval | 95 | 65 | o1 leads by 30pts |
| BigCodeBench | 73 | 28 | o1 leads by 45pts |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | OpenAI o1 | Mistral Small 3 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $2.32 | $0.01 | Mistral Small 3 saves $2.31 (99%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $17.25 | $0.10 | Mistral Small 3 saves $17.16 (99%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $86.25 | $0.47 | Mistral Small 3 saves $85.78 (99%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $4.13 | $0.02 | Mistral Small 3 saves $4.10 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI o1 | 83 | $0.181/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
OpenAI o1
- + Strong step-by-step reasoning
- + Best at math-heavy coding
- - Expensive
- - Slow
Mistral Small 3
- + Ultra-cheap
- - Very limited capabilities
Verdict
Mistral Small 3 is cheaper at $0.100/M, but OpenAI o1 scores higher on benchmarks (83 vs 42).
Choose Mistral Small 3 for cost-sensitive projects, OpenAI o1 when performance matters most.
Compare with Other Models
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