Llama 4 Scout 17B vs Mistral Magistral Small 2509
Llama 4 Scout 17B (2025) and Mistral Magistral Small 2509 (2025) are general-purpose language models from AI at Meta and MistralAI. Llama 4 Scout 17B ships a 10m-token context window, while Mistral Magistral Small 2509 ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Llama 4 Scout 17B costs $0.17/1M input tokens versus $0.50/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Llama 4 Scout 17B is ~194% cheaper at $0.17/1M; pay for Mistral Magistral Small 2509 only for provider fit.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps and long-context analysis | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | RAG, Long context, and Vision | General |
| Context window | 10m | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.66/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Scout 17B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.66/1M tokens.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B uniquely exposes Multimodal and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Scout 17B for RAG, Long context, and Vision.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Scout 17B
$301
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Mistral Magistral Small 2509
$775
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Estimated monthly gap: $474. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is $0.84/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B is $0.84/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Llama 4 Scout 17B adds Multimodal and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-10-01 | 2025-09-01 |
| Context window | 10m | — |
| Parameters | 17 | 24B |
| Architecture | - | - |
| License | Open Source | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.17/1M tokens | $0.50/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.66/1M tokens | $1.50/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Scout 17B | Mistral Magistral Small 2509 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| 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 differs most on multimodal input: Llama 4 Scout 17B and structured outputs: Llama 4 Scout 17B. Both models share the core language-model surface, 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, Llama 4 Scout 17B lists $0.17/1M input and $0.66/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mistral Magistral Small 2509 lists $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Llama 4 Scout 17B lower by about $0.48 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 4 Scout 17B when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Magistral Small 2509 when provider fit 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 is cheaper, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 4 Scout 17B costs $0.17/1M input and $0.66/1M output tokens. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 costs $0.50/1M input and $1.50/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 4 Scout 17B or Mistral Magistral Small 2509 open source?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is listed under Open Source. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 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 multimodal input, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Llama 4 Scout 17B 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.
Which is better for structured outputs, Llama 4 Scout 17B or Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Llama 4 Scout 17B has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Llama 4 Scout 17B and Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is available on AWS Bedrock. Mistral Magistral Small 2509 is available on AWS Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Llama 4 Scout 17B over Mistral Magistral Small 2509?
Llama 4 Scout 17B is ~194% cheaper at $0.17/1M; pay for Mistral Magistral Small 2509 only for provider fit. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Llama 4 Scout 17B; if it depends on provider fit, run the same evaluation with Mistral Magistral Small 2509.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.