GPT-4 Turbo vs Mistral Magistral Small 2509
GPT-4 Turbo (2024) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 (2025) are compact production models from OpenAI and MistralAI. GPT-4 Turbo ships a 128k-token context window, while Mistral Magistral Small 2509 ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Mistral Magistral Small 2509 costs $0.50/1M input tokens versus $5/1M 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 Magistral Small 2509 is ~900% cheaper at $0.50/1M; pay for GPT-4 Turbo only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4 Turbo | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | General |
| Context window | 128k | — |
| Cheapest output | $15/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-4 Turbo has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GPT-4 Turbo has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- GPT-4 Turbo uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4 Turbo for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.50/1M tokens.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GPT-4 Turbo
$7,750
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Replicate API
Mistral Magistral Small 2509
$775
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $6,975. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is $13.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on Vercel AI Gateway; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4 Turbo is $13.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GPT-4 Turbo adds Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024-04-09 | 2025-09-01 |
| Context window | 128k | — |
| Parameters | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* | 24B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | - |
| License | Proprietary | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-12 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4 Turbo | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $5/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $15/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4 Turbo | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| 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 vision: GPT-4 Turbo, multimodal input: GPT-4 Turbo, function calling: GPT-4 Turbo, tool use: GPT-4 Turbo, structured outputs: GPT-4 Turbo, and code execution: GPT-4 Turbo. 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.
For cost, GPT-4 Turbo lists $5/1M input and $15/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Magistral Small 2509 lists $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Magistral Small 2509 lower by about $7.20 per million blended tokens. Availability is 6 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4 Turbo when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Magistral Small 2509 when provider fit 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.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT-4 Turbo or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4 Turbo costs $5/1M input and $15/1M output tokens. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 costs $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4 Turbo or Mistral Magistral Small 2509 open source?
GPT-4 Turbo is listed under Proprietary. 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.
Which is better for vision, GPT-4 Turbo or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Turbo has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, GPT-4 Turbo or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Turbo has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, GPT-4 Turbo or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Turbo has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run GPT-4 Turbo and Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Turbo is available on OpenAI API, Azure OpenAI, Salesforce Einstein Generative AI, OpenRouter, and Replicate API. 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.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.