GPT-4 Vision Preview vs Mistral Magistral Small 2509
GPT-4 Vision Preview (2023) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 (2025) are compact production models from OpenAI and MistralAI. GPT-4 Vision Preview 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 $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.
Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is ~1900% cheaper at $0.50/1M; pay for GPT-4 Vision Preview only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4 Vision Preview | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Long context | General |
| Context window | 128k | — |
| Cheapest output | $40/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-4 Vision Preview has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- GPT-4 Vision Preview uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4 Vision Preview for Coding, Agents, and Long context.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.50/1M tokens.
- 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.
GPT-4 Vision Preview
$18,000
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Azure OpenAI
Mistral Magistral Small 2509
$775
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $17,225. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for GPT-4 Vision Preview and Mistral Magistral Small 2509; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is $38.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Code execution before moving production traffic.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Magistral Small 2509 and GPT-4 Vision Preview; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- GPT-4 Vision Preview is $38.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- GPT-4 Vision Preview adds Vision, Multimodal, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023-11-06 | 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 | 2023-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4 Vision Preview | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $10/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $40/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4 Vision Preview | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | 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 Vision Preview, multimodal input: GPT-4 Vision Preview, and code execution: GPT-4 Vision Preview. 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 Vision Preview lists $10/1M input and $40/1M 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 $18.20 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4 Vision Preview when coding workflow support are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Magistral Small 2509 when provider fit, lower input-token cost, 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.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT-4 Vision Preview or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4 Vision Preview costs $10/1M input and $40/1M 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 Vision Preview or Mistral Magistral Small 2509 open source?
GPT-4 Vision Preview 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 Vision Preview or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Vision Preview 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.
Which is better for multimodal input, GPT-4 Vision Preview or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Vision Preview 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 code execution, GPT-4 Vision Preview or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Vision Preview has the clearer documented code execution signal in this comparison. If code execution 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 Vision Preview and Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
GPT-4 Vision Preview is available on Azure OpenAI. 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.