Mistral Large 2 vs Mixtral 8x7B
Mistral Large 2 (2025) and Mixtral 8x7B (2023) are compact production models from MistralAI. Mistral Large 2 ships a 128k-token context window, while Mixtral 8x7B ships a 32k-token context window. On HumanEval, Mistral Large 2 leads by 4.3 pts. On pricing, Mixtral 8x7B costs $0.15/1M input tokens versus $0.48/1M 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.
Mixtral 8x7B is ~220% cheaper at $0.15/1M; pay for Mistral Large 2 only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Mistral Large 2 | Mixtral 8x7B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production | provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding and Classification |
| Context window | 128k | 32k |
| Cheapest output | $2.40/1M tokens | $0.45/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 18 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | HumanEval leader | 3 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Mistral Large 2 holds a shared-benchmark lead on HumanEval, ahead by 4.3 points.
- Mistral Large 2 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Large 2 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Large 2 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Mixtral 8x7B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.45/1M tokens.
- Mixtral 8x7B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Mixtral 8x7B for Coding and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Mistral Large 2
$984
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Mixtral 8x7B
$233
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Mistral AI Studio
Estimated monthly gap: $752. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on AWS Bedrock, Mistral AI Studio, and IBM watsonx; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mixtral 8x7B is $1.95/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on IBM watsonx, AWS Bedrock, and Mistral AI Studio; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Mistral Large 2 is $1.95/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Mistral Large 2 adds Vision, Multimodal, and Function calling in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-11-25 | 2023-12-11 |
| Context window | 128k | 32k |
| Parameters | 123B | 8x7B |
| Architecture | decoder only | mixture of experts |
| License | Mistral License | Apache 2.0(OSI) |
| Openness | Open weights | Open source |
| Commercial use | Non-commercial only | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-07 | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Mistral Large 2 | Mixtral 8x7B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.48/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2.40/1M tokens | $0.45/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Mistral Large 2 | Mixtral 8x7B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Mistral Large 2 | Mixtral 8x7B |
|---|---|---|
| HumanEval | 84.8 | 80.5 |
| Massive Multitask Language Understanding | 84.0 | 80.2 |
| HellaSwag | 93.8 | 90.9 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, HumanEval has Mistral Large 2 at 84.8 and Mixtral 8x7B at 80.5, with Mistral Large 2 ahead by 4.3 points; Massive Multitask Language Understanding has Mistral Large 2 at 84 and Mixtral 8x7B at 80.2, with Mistral Large 2 ahead by 3.8 points; HellaSwag has Mistral Large 2 at 93.8 and Mixtral 8x7B at 90.9, with Mistral Large 2 ahead by 2.9 points. The largest visible gap is 4.3 points on HumanEval, 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 vision: Mistral Large 2, multimodal input: Mistral Large 2, function calling: Mistral Large 2, tool use: Mistral Large 2, and structured outputs: Mistral Large 2. 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, Mistral Large 2 lists $0.48/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Mixtral 8x7B lists $0.15/1M input and $0.45/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mixtral 8x7B lower by about $0.82 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 18, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Mistral Large 2 when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Mixtral 8x7B when provider fit, lower input-token cost, 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Mistral Large 2 or Mixtral 8x7B?
Mistral Large 2 supports 128k tokens, while Mixtral 8x7B supports 32k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Mistral Large 2 or Mixtral 8x7B?
Mixtral 8x7B is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Mistral Large 2 costs $0.48/1M input and $2.40/1M output tokens. Mixtral 8x7B costs $0.15/1M input and $0.45/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Mistral Large 2 or Mixtral 8x7B open source?
Mistral Large 2 is listed under Mistral License. Mixtral 8x7B 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, Mistral Large 2 or Mixtral 8x7B?
Mistral Large 2 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.
Which is better for multimodal input, Mistral Large 2 or Mixtral 8x7B?
Mistral Large 2 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.
Where can I run Mistral Large 2 and Mixtral 8x7B?
Mistral Large 2 is available on OpenRouter, IBM watsonx, AWS Bedrock, and Mistral AI Studio. Mixtral 8x7B is available on Databricks Foundation Model Serving, NVIDIA NIM, GCP Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock, and OctoAI API (Deprecated). Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.