Magistral Small 2506 vs Qianfan-OCR-Fast
Magistral Small 2506 (2025) and Qianfan-OCR-Fast (2026) are frontier reasoning models from MistralAI and Baidu AI. Magistral Small 2506 ships a 128k-token context window, while Qianfan-OCR-Fast ships a 66k-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. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Qianfan-OCR-Fast is safer overall; choose Magistral Small 2506 when reasoning depth matters.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Magistral Small 2506 | Qianfan-OCR-Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Long context | Vision |
| Context window | 128k | 66k |
| Cheapest output | - | $2.81/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Magistral Small 2506 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Magistral Small 2506 uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Magistral Small 2506 for Long context.
- Qianfan-OCR-Fast uniquely exposes Vision and Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Qianfan-OCR-Fast for Vision.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Magistral Small 2506
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Qianfan-OCR-Fast
$1,247
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Magistral Small 2506 and Qianfan-OCR-Fast; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Qianfan-OCR-Fast adds Vision and Multimodal in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Qianfan-OCR-Fast and Magistral Small 2506; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision and Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- Magistral Small 2506 adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-06-10 | 2026-04-20 |
| Context window | 128k | 66k |
| Parameters | 24B | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-06 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Magistral Small 2506 | Qianfan-OCR-Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | - | $0.68/1M tokens |
| Output price | - | $2.81/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Magistral Small 2506 | Qianfan-OCR-Fast |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | No | 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 vision: Qianfan-OCR-Fast, multimodal input: Qianfan-OCR-Fast, and reasoning mode: Magistral Small 2506. 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.
Pricing coverage is uneven: Magistral Small 2506 has no token price sourced yet and Qianfan-OCR-Fast has $0.68/1M input tokens. Provider availability is 1 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Magistral Small 2506 when reasoning depth and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Qianfan-OCR-Fast 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency. For teams standardizing a stack, that distinction is often the difference between a benchmark win and a reliable deployment.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Magistral Small 2506 or Qianfan-OCR-Fast?
Magistral Small 2506 supports 128k tokens, while Qianfan-OCR-Fast supports 66k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Is Magistral Small 2506 or Qianfan-OCR-Fast open source?
Magistral Small 2506 is listed under Apache 2.0. Qianfan-OCR-Fast 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 vision, Magistral Small 2506 or Qianfan-OCR-Fast?
Qianfan-OCR-Fast 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, Magistral Small 2506 or Qianfan-OCR-Fast?
Qianfan-OCR-Fast 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 reasoning mode, Magistral Small 2506 or Qianfan-OCR-Fast?
Magistral Small 2506 has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Magistral Small 2506 and Qianfan-OCR-Fast?
Magistral Small 2506 is available on NVIDIA NIM. Qianfan-OCR-Fast is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.