Grok 3 Mini vs Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct
Grok 3 Mini (2025) and Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct (2025) are compact production models from xAI and MistralAI. Grok 3 Mini ships a 131k-token context window, while Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct ships a 128k-token context window. On pricing, Grok 3 Mini costs $0.25/1M input tokens versus $0.50/1M 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.
Grok 3 Mini is ~100% cheaper at $0.25/1M; pay for Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct only for vision-heavy evaluation.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok 3 Mini | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and provider-routed production | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 131k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $1.27/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok 3 Mini has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok 3 Mini has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $1.27/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Grok 3 Mini for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct 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.
Grok 3 Mini
$518
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Microsoft Foundry
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct
$775
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $258. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is $0.23/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Provider overlap exists on Microsoft Foundry; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Grok 3 Mini is $0.23/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2025-12-01 |
| Context window | 131k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | 675B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Mistral License |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Non-commercial only |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-11 | 2024-11 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok 3 Mini | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.27/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok 3 Mini | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | 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 is close: both models cover vision, multimodal input, and structured outputs. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Grok 3 Mini lists $0.25/1M input and $1.27/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct lists $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Grok 3 Mini lower by about $0.24 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok 3 Mini when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct when vision-heavy evaluation 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 has a larger context window, Grok 3 Mini or Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct?
Grok 3 Mini supports 131k tokens, while Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct supports 128k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Grok 3 Mini or Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct?
Grok 3 Mini is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok 3 Mini costs $0.25/1M input and $1.27/1M output tokens. Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct costs $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok 3 Mini or Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct open source?
Grok 3 Mini is listed under Proprietary. Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is listed under Mistral License. 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, Grok 3 Mini or Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct?
Both Grok 3 Mini and Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct expose vision. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Which is better for multimodal input, Grok 3 Mini or Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct?
Both Grok 3 Mini and Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct expose multimodal input. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface.
Where can I run Grok 3 Mini and Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct?
Grok 3 Mini is available on OpenRouter and Microsoft Foundry. Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock, NVIDIA NIM, Mistral AI Studio, Microsoft Foundry, and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-04. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.