Gemma 3n 2B (free) vs Mistral Magistral Small 2509
Gemma 3n 2B (free) (2025) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 (2025) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and MistralAI. Gemma 3n 2B (free) ships a 8k-token context window, while Mistral Magistral Small 2509 ships a not-yet-sourced context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is safer overall; choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | General | General |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Cheapest output | - | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Gemma 3n 2B (free) has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Gemma 3n 2B (free)
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Mistral Magistral Small 2509
$775
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Magistral Small 2509 and Gemma 3n 2B (free); plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-03 | 2025-09-01 |
| Context window | 8k | — |
| Parameters | 5B (2B effective active) | 24B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | - |
| License | Gemma | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-06 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark scores are currently available for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint is close: both models cover the core production surface. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemma 3n 2B (free) has no token price sourced yet and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 has $0.50/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 2. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Magistral Small 2509 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
Is Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Mistral Magistral Small 2509 open source?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is listed under Gemma. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 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.
Where can I run Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is available on NVIDIA NIM. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is available on AWS Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Gemma 3n 2B (free) over Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is safer overall; choose Gemma 3n 2B (free) when provider fit matters. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Gemma 3n 2B (free); if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Mistral Magistral Small 2509.
What is the main difference between Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 differ most on context, provider coverage, capabilities, or pricing depending on the data currently sourced. Use the specs table first, then validate the model behavior with your own prompts.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.