Gemma 3 vs Mistral Small
Gemma 3 (2025) and Mistral Small (2024) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and MistralAI. Gemma 3 ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Mistral Small ships a 32k-token context window. On pricing, Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input tokens versus $0.10/1M 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.
Gemma 3 is ~150% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Mistral Small only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3 | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Classification and JSON / Tool use | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | — | 32k |
| Cheapest output | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 3 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemma 3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.08/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Gemma 3 for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
- Mistral Small has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Small has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small for Classification and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemma 3
$52.00
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Mistral Small
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Mistral AI Studio
Estimated monthly gap: $103. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3 and Mistral Small; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Small is $0.22/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Small and Gemma 3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Gemma 3 is $0.22/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-12 | 2024-02-26 |
| Context window | — | 32k |
| Parameters | — | 22B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Gemma | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-01 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3 | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.04/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3 | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | 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 is close: both models cover structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Gemma 3 lists $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Small lists $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Gemma 3 lower by about $0.11 per million blended tokens. Availability is 3 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Gemma 3 when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Small when provider fit and broader provider choice 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. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gemma 3 or Mistral Small?
Gemma 3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Gemma 3 costs $0.04/1M input and $0.08/1M output tokens. Mistral Small costs $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Gemma 3 or Mistral Small open source?
Gemma 3 is listed under Gemma. Mistral Small 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 structured outputs, Gemma 3 or Mistral Small?
Both Gemma 3 and Mistral Small expose structured outputs. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run Gemma 3 and Mistral Small?
Gemma 3 is available on OpenRouter, Google AI Studio, and GCP Vertex AI. Mistral Small is available on Microsoft Foundry, AWS Bedrock, Mistral AI Studio, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Gemma 3 over Mistral Small?
Gemma 3 is ~150% cheaper at $0.04/1M; pay for Mistral Small only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Gemma 3; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Mistral Small.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-01. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.