Grok-3 vs Mistral Large 2
Grok-3 (2025) and Mistral Large 2 (2025) are frontier reasoning models from xAI and MistralAI. Grok-3 ships a 131k-token context window, while Mistral Large 2 ships a 128k-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Grok-3 leads by 10.2 pts. On pricing, Mistral Large 2 costs $0.48/1M input tokens versus $0.80/1M 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 Large 2 is ~67% cheaper at $0.48/1M; pay for Grok-3 only for reasoning depth.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Grok-3 | Mistral Large 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 131k | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $2.40/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 4 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | MMLU PRO leader | 3 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Grok-3 holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 10.2 points.
- Grok-3 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Grok-3 uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Grok-3 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Large 2 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
$1,240
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Chutes AI
Mistral Large 2
$984
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $256. 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.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Grok-3 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-02-17 | 2025-11-25 |
| Context window | 131k | 128k |
| Parameters | — | 123B |
| Architecture | - | decoder only |
| License | Proprietary | Mistral License |
| Openness | Proprietary | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use with conditions | Non-commercial only |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-04 | 2025-07 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Grok-3 | Mistral Large 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.80/1M tokens | $0.48/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.40/1M tokens | $2.40/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Grok-3 | Mistral Large 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Multimodal | Yes | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | Yes |
| Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Grok-3 | Mistral Large 2 |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 79.9 | 69.7 |
| HumanEval | 94.5 | 84.8 |
| Chatbot Arena | 1405.0 | 1265.0 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Grok-3 at 79.9 and Mistral Large 2 at 69.7, with Grok-3 ahead by 10.2 points; HumanEval has Grok-3 at 94.5 and Mistral Large 2 at 84.8, with Grok-3 ahead by 9.7 points; Chatbot Arena has Grok-3 at 1405 and Mistral Large 2 at 1265, with Grok-3 ahead by 140 points. The largest visible gap is 140 points on Chatbot Arena, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Grok-3. Both models share vision, multimodal input, function calling, and tool use, 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, Grok-3 lists $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Large 2 lists $0.48/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Large 2 lower by about $0.22 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 4, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Grok-3 when reasoning depth and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Large 2 when vision-heavy evaluation 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Grok-3 or Mistral Large 2?
Grok-3 supports 131k tokens, while Mistral Large 2 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 or Mistral Large 2?
Mistral Large 2 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Grok-3 costs $0.80/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens. Mistral Large 2 costs $0.48/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Grok-3 or Mistral Large 2 open source?
Grok-3 is listed under Proprietary. Mistral Large 2 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 or Mistral Large 2?
Both Grok-3 and Mistral Large 2 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, Grok-3 or Mistral Large 2?
Both Grok-3 and Mistral Large 2 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 Grok-3 and Mistral Large 2?
Grok-3 is available on OpenRouter, xAI Console, Chutes AI, and Microsoft Foundry. Mistral Large 2 is available on OpenRouter, IBM watsonx, AWS Bedrock, and Mistral AI Studio. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-20. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.