GPT-4 vs Mistral Medium 3.5
GPT-4 (2023) and Mistral Medium 3.5 (2026) are frontier reasoning models from OpenAI and MistralAI. GPT-4 ships a 8k-token context window, while Mistral Medium 3.5 ships a 256k-token context window. On pricing, Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $1.50/1M input tokens versus $30/1M 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 Medium 3.5 is ~1900% cheaper at $1.50/1M; pay for GPT-4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4 | Mistral Medium 3.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents |
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 8k | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $60/1M tokens | $7.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 3 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- GPT-4 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- GPT-4 uniquely exposes Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4 for Coding, Agents, and Vision.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $7.50/1M tokens.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 uniquely exposes Reasoning and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Medium 3.5 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
GPT-4
$39,000
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenAI API
Mistral Medium 3.5
$3,075
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Mistral AI Studio
Estimated monthly gap: $35,925. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 is $52.50/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Code execution before moving production traffic.
- Mistral Medium 3.5 adds Reasoning and Tool use in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- GPT-4 is $52.50/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- GPT-4 adds Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023-03-14 | 2026-04-29 |
| Context window | 8k | 256k |
| Parameters | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* | 128B |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Commercial use with conditions |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2021-09 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4 | Mistral Medium 3.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $30/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $60/1M tokens | $7.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4 | Mistral Medium 3.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| 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 reasoning mode: Mistral Medium 3.5, tool use: Mistral Medium 3.5, and code execution: GPT-4. Both models share vision, multimodal input, function calling, and structured outputs, 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 lists $30/1M input and $60/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Medium 3.5 lists $1.50/1M input and $7.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Medium 3.5 lower by about $35.70 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 3, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Medium 3.5 when reasoning depth, larger context windows, 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 has a larger context window, GPT-4 or Mistral Medium 3.5?
Mistral Medium 3.5 supports 256k tokens, while GPT-4 supports 8k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, GPT-4 or Mistral Medium 3.5?
Mistral Medium 3.5 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4 costs $30/1M input and $60/1M output tokens. Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $1.50/1M input and $7.50/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4 or Mistral Medium 3.5 open source?
GPT-4 is listed under Proprietary. Mistral Medium 3.5 is listed under Proprietary. 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 or Mistral Medium 3.5?
Both GPT-4 and Mistral Medium 3.5 expose vision. 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.
Which is better for multimodal input, GPT-4 or Mistral Medium 3.5?
Both GPT-4 and Mistral Medium 3.5 expose multimodal input. 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 GPT-4 and Mistral Medium 3.5?
GPT-4 is available on OpenAI API, Azure OpenAI, Salesforce Einstein Generative AI, and OpenRouter. Mistral Medium 3.5 is available on Mistral AI Studio, OpenRouter, 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.