Phi-3 Mini 4k vs Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1
Phi-3 Mini 4k (2024) and Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 (2023) are compact production models from Microsoft Research and MistralAI. Phi-3 Mini 4k ships a 4K-token context window, while Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Phi-3 Mini 4k costs $0.05/1M input tokens versus $0.4/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Phi-3 Mini 4k is ~700% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 only for long-context analysis.
Specs
| Released | 2024-04-23 | 2023-12-10 |
| Context window | 4K | 33K |
| Parameters | 3.8B | 56B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Phi-3 Mini 4k | Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.05/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Phi-3 Mini 4k | Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint is close: both models cover the core production surface. That makes context budget, benchmark fit, and provider maturity more important than a simple checklist. If your application depends on one integration detail, verify it against the provider route you plan to use, not just the base model listing.
For cost, Phi-3 Mini 4k lists $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens, while Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 lists $0.4/1M input and $0.4/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Phi-3 Mini 4k lower by about $0.29 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Phi-3 Mini 4k when provider fit, lower input-token cost, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 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, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 supports 33K tokens, while Phi-3 Mini 4k supports 4K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Phi-3 Mini 4k or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Phi-3 Mini 4k costs $0.05/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 costs $0.4/1M input and $0.4/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Phi-3 Mini 4k or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 open source?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is listed under Open Source. Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 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.
Where can I run Phi-3 Mini 4k and Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is available on Microsoft Foundry, NVIDIA NIM, Baseten API, and Replicate API. Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 is available on Together AI. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
When should I pick Phi-3 Mini 4k over Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi-3 Mini 4k is ~700% cheaper at $0.05/1M; pay for Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 only for long-context analysis. If your workload also depends on provider fit, start with Phi-3 Mini 4k; if it depends on long-context analysis, run the same evaluation with Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.