GPT-4 vs Mistral Small 3
GPT-4 (2023) and Mistral Small 3 (2025) are compact production models from OpenAI and MistralAI. GPT-4 ships a 8K-token context window, while Mistral Small 3 ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Mistral Small 3 costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $30/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Mistral Small 3 is ~29900% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for GPT-4 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | GPT-4 | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Coding, Agents, and Vision | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 8K | 33K |
| Cheapest output | $60/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 1 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 Vision, Multimodal, and Code execution in local model data.
- Local decision data tags GPT-4 for Coding, Agents, and Vision.
- Mistral Small 3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Small 3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.3/1M tokens.
- Mistral Small 3 uniquely exposes Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small 3 for Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
GPT-4
$39,000
Cheapest tracked route: OpenAI API
Mistral Small 3
$155
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $38,845. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for GPT-4 and Mistral Small 3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Small 3 is $59.70/1M 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.
- Mistral Small 3 adds Tool use in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Small 3 and GPT-4; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- GPT-4 is $59.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Tool use before moving production traffic.
- GPT-4 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Code execution in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2023-03-14 | 2025-01-01 |
| Context window | 8K | 33K |
| Parameters | 1.76T (8x222B MoE)* | — |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2021-09 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | GPT-4 | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $30/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $60/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | GPT-4 | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: GPT-4, multimodal input: GPT-4, tool use: Mistral Small 3, and code execution: GPT-4. Both models share 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, while Mistral Small 3 lists $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Small 3 lower by about $38.84 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose GPT-4 when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Small 3 when long-context analysis, 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, GPT-4 or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Small 3 supports 33K 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 Small 3?
Mistral Small 3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. GPT-4 costs $30/1M input and $60/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3 costs $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is GPT-4 or Mistral Small 3 open source?
GPT-4 is listed under Proprietary. Mistral Small 3 is listed under Open Source. 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 Small 3?
GPT-4 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 or Mistral Small 3?
GPT-4 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.
Where can I run GPT-4 and Mistral Small 3?
GPT-4 is available on OpenAI API, Azure OpenAI, Salesforce Einstein Generative AI, and OpenRouter. Mistral Small 3 is available on Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-14. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.