Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct vs Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct (2024) and Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 (2023) are compact production models from Microsoft Research and MistralAI. Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct ships a 128K-token context window, while Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 ships a 33K-token context window. On pricing, Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 costs $0.4/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct is safer overall; choose Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 when provider fit matters.
Specs
| Released | 2024-08-20 | 2023-12-10 |
| Context window | 128K | 33K |
| Parameters | 16x3.8B (42B, 6.6B active) | 56B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | MIT | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | 2023-12 |
Pricing and availability
| Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct | Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.4/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct | 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 3.5 MoE Instruct lists $0.5/1M input and $0.5/1M 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 Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 lower by about $0.1 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct when long-context analysis and larger context windows are central to the workload. Choose Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 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, Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct supports 128K tokens, while Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 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, Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct costs $0.5/1M input and $0.5/1M 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 3.5 MoE Instruct or Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 open source?
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct is listed under MIT. 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 3.5 MoE Instruct and Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct is available on Fireworks AI. Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 is available on Together AI. 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.
When should I pick Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct over Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1?
Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct is safer overall; choose Together AI Mixtral-8x7B-Instruct-v0.1 when provider fit matters. If your workload also depends on long-context analysis, start with Phi 3.5 MoE Instruct; if it depends on provider fit, 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.