Mistral Small 3 vs Nemotron 3 Nano Omni
Mistral Small 3 (2025) and Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (2026) are compact production models from MistralAI and NVIDIA AI. Mistral Small 3 ships a 33k-token context window, while Nemotron 3 Nano Omni ships a 262k-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.
Nemotron 3 Nano Omni fits 8x more tokens; pick it for long-context work and Mistral Small 3 for tighter calls.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Mistral Small 3 | Nemotron 3 Nano Omni |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | tool-calling agents and provider-routed production | multimodal apps |
| Decision fit | Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use | Long context, Vision, and Classification |
| Context window | 33k | 262k |
| Cheapest output | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Mistral Small 3 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Mistral Small 3 uniquely exposes Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Mistral Small 3 for Agents, Classification, and JSON / Tool use.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni uniquely exposes Multimodal in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron 3 Nano Omni for Long context, Vision, and Classification.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Mistral Small 3
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Together AI
Nemotron 3 Nano Omni
Unavailable
No complete token price in local provider data
Cost delta unavailable until both models have sourced input and output token prices.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Mistral Small 3 and Nemotron 3 Nano Omni; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron 3 Nano Omni adds Multimodal in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Nemotron 3 Nano Omni and Mistral Small 3; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal before moving production traffic.
- Mistral Small 3 adds Function calling, Tool use, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-01-01 | 2026-04-28 |
| Context window | 33k | 262k |
| Parameters | 24B | 30B |
| Architecture | decoder only | Hybrid Mamba-Transformer MoE |
| License | Apache 2.0(OSI) | NVIDIA Open Model |
| Openness | Open source | Open weights |
| Commercial use | Commercial use allowed | Commercial use allowed |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2023-10 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Mistral Small 3 | Nemotron 3 Nano Omni |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.10/1M tokens | - |
| Output price | $0.30/1M tokens | - |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Mistral Small 3 | Nemotron 3 Nano Omni |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| 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
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on multimodal input: Nemotron 3 Nano Omni, function calling: Mistral Small 3, tool use: Mistral Small 3, and structured outputs: Mistral Small 3. 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: Mistral Small 3 has $0.10/1M input tokens and Nemotron 3 Nano Omni has no token price sourced yet. Provider availability is 2 tracked routes versus 1. Treat unknown pricing as an integration gap, then verify the route you will actually call before estimating production spend.
Choose Mistral Small 3 when provider fit and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron 3 Nano Omni when long-context analysis and larger context windows 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 Small 3 or Nemotron 3 Nano Omni?
Nemotron 3 Nano Omni supports 262k 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.
Is Mistral Small 3 or Nemotron 3 Nano Omni open source?
Mistral Small 3 is listed under Apache 2.0. Nemotron 3 Nano Omni is listed under NVIDIA Open Model. 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, Mistral Small 3 or Nemotron 3 Nano Omni?
Nemotron 3 Nano Omni 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 function calling, Mistral Small 3 or Nemotron 3 Nano Omni?
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 Small 3 or Nemotron 3 Nano Omni?
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 Small 3 and Nemotron 3 Nano Omni?
Mistral Small 3 is available on Together AI and Vercel AI Gateway. Nemotron 3 Nano Omni is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.