Gemma 3n 2B (free) vs Mistral Small
Gemma 3n 2B (free) (2025) and Mistral Small (2024) are compact production models from Google DeepMind and MistralAI. Gemma 3n 2B (free) ships a 8k-token context window, while Mistral Small ships a 32k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Mistral Small fits 4x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Gemma 3n 2B (free) for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | general production evaluation | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | General | Classification and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8k | 32k |
| Cheapest output | - | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Use Gemma 3n 2B (free) when your own prompt tests beat the comparison signals; the local data does not show a decisive standalone advantage yet.
- 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.
- Mistral Small uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- 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 3n 2B (free)
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Mistral Small
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Mistral AI Studio
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 Small; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Small adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Small and Gemma 3n 2B (free); plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-03 | 2024-02-26 |
| Context window | 8k | 32k |
| Parameters | 5B (2B effective active) | 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 | 2024-06 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Gemma 3n 2B (free) | Mistral Small |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | 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 differs most on structured outputs: Mistral Small. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Gemma 3n 2B (free) has no token price sourced yet and Mistral Small has $0.10/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 5. 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 Small when long-context analysis, larger context windows, 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 has a larger context window, Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Mistral Small?
Mistral Small supports 32k tokens, while Gemma 3n 2B (free) supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Gemma 3n 2B (free) or Mistral Small open source?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) 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 3n 2B (free) or Mistral Small?
Mistral Small has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Gemma 3n 2B (free) and Mistral Small?
Gemma 3n 2B (free) is available on NVIDIA NIM. 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 3n 2B (free) over Mistral Small?
Mistral Small fits 4x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Gemma 3n 2B (free) for tighter calls. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Gemma 3n 2B (free); if it depends on long-context analysis, run the same evaluation with Mistral Small.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-06-01. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.