Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct (2025) and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct (2025) are compact production models from AI at Meta and MistralAI. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct ships a 10m-token context window, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct ships a 128k-token context window. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct fits 78x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | multimodal apps and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | RAG, Long context, and Vision |
| Context window | 10m | 128k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 12 tracked | 6 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 shared | 0 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct
$139
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $16.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, and Fireworks AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
- Provider overlap exists on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, and Together AI; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Cheapest tracked output pricing is tied, so migration risk shifts to quality, latency, and provider packaging.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2025-12-15 |
| Context window | 10m | 128k |
| Parameters | 109B (17B active) | 24B |
| Architecture | Mixture of Experts | Decoder Only |
| License | Llama 4 Community | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.08/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct | Mistral Small 3.1 24B 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 scores are currently available 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lists $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct lists $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct lower by about $0.01 per million blended tokens. Availability is 12 providers versus 6, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct when vision-heavy evaluation 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct supports 10m tokens, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct costs $0.08/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct costs $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct open source?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is listed under Llama 4 Community. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Both Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Mistral Small 3.1 24B 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Both Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Mistral Small 3.1 24B 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 Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?
Llama 4 Scout 17B-16E Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Together AI, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is available on Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, NVIDIA NIM, and Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.