Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct vs Mistral Small 3
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct (2025) and Mistral Small 3 (2025) are compact production models from MistralAI. Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct ships a 128K-token context window, while Mistral Small 3 ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Mistral Small 3 costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Mistral Small 3 is ~400% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 128K | 33K |
| Cheapest output | $1.5/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 4 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Mistral Small 3 has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.3/1M tokens.
- Mistral Small 3 uniquely exposes Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small 3 for Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct
$775
Cheapest tracked route: AWS Bedrock
Mistral Small 3
$155
Cheapest tracked route: Together AI
Estimated monthly gap: $620. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct and Mistral Small 3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Small 3 is $1.2/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Mistral Small 3 adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Small 3 and Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is $1.2/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-12-01 | 2025-01-01 |
| Context window | 128K | 33K |
| Parameters | 675B | — |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | 1 | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-11 | 2023-10 |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $1.5/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | No | Yes |
| Tool use | No | Yes |
| Structured outputs | Yes | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on function calling: Mistral Small 3 and tool use: Mistral Small 3. Both models share structured outputs, 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 3 675B Instruct lists $0.5/1M input and $1.5/1M output tokens, while Mistral Small 3 lists $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Mistral Small 3 lower by about $0.64 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Mistral Small 3 when provider fit 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. 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct supports 128K tokens, while Mistral Small 3 supports 33K 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 3 675B Instruct or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Small 3 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct costs $0.5/1M input and $1.5/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3 costs $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct or Mistral Small 3 open source?
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is listed under 1. Mistral Small 3 is listed under Open Source. 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 function calling, Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Small 3 has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for tool use, Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Small 3 has the clearer documented tool use signal in this comparison. If tool use 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 3 675B Instruct and Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Large 3 675B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock, NVIDIA NIM, Mistral AI Studio, and Microsoft Foundry. Mistral Small 3 is available on Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.