DeepSeek V3.1 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
DeepSeek V3.1 (2025) and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct (2025) are compact production models from DeepSeek and MistralAI. DeepSeek V3.1 ships a 64k-token context window, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.27/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is ~170% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for DeepSeek V3.1 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | DeepSeek V3.1 | Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Vision | RAG, Long context, and Vision |
| Context window | 64k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $1/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 6 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- DeepSeek V3.1 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- DeepSeek V3.1 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags DeepSeek V3.1 for Coding, Agents, and Vision.
- Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
DeepSeek V3.1
$466
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Novita AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $311. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, and Together AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is $0.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, and Together AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- DeepSeek V3.1 is $0.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- DeepSeek V3.1 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-08-21 | 2025-12-15 |
| Context window | 64k | 128k |
| Parameters | 671B total, 37B active (MoE) | 24B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | dense |
| License | MIT | Apache 2.0 |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | DeepSeek V3.1 | Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.27/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | DeepSeek V3.1 | Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on code execution: DeepSeek V3.1. Both models share vision, multimodal input, and structured outputs, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, DeepSeek V3.1 lists $0.27/1M input and $1/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct lists $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct lower by about $0.33 per million blended tokens. Availability is 8 providers versus 6, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose DeepSeek V3.1 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, DeepSeek V3.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct supports 128k tokens, while DeepSeek V3.1 supports 64k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V3.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. DeepSeek V3.1 costs $0.27/1M input and $1/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct costs $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is DeepSeek V3.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct open source?
DeepSeek V3.1 is listed under MIT. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is listed under Apache 2.0. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, DeepSeek V3.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Both DeepSeek V3.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for multimodal input, DeepSeek V3.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Both DeepSeek V3.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run DeepSeek V3.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
DeepSeek V3.1 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, Together AI, and AWS Bedrock. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, and Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.