Model Comparison
Claude Opus 4.6 vs Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)Which is better in 2026?
Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is 13.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude Opus 4.6 vs Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) — which is better?
Claude Opus 4.6 (by Anthropic) and Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) (by Mistral AI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.
Claude Opus 4.6 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU), while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is roughly 13.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Claude Opus 4.6 also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude Opus 4.6 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
Choose Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) if…
- cost matters — it's about 13.3x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Opus 4.6 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMLU), while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is better at 0 benchmarks.
Claude Opus 4.6 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Opus 4.6 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($0.50/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Opus 4.6 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 16.7x more expensive than Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($1.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Opus 4.6 is more expensive than Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512).*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Claude Opus 4.6 accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)'s 262,100 tokens. Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) can generate longer responses up to 262,100 tokens, while Claude Opus 4.6 is limited to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude Opus 4.6 and Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Opus 4.6
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
License
Usage and distribution terms
Claude Opus 4.6 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Opus 4.6 was released on 2026-02-05, while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) was released on 2025-12-04.
Claude Opus 4.6 is 2 months newer than Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512).
Feb 5, 2026
4 months ago
2mo newerDec 4, 2025
6 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude Opus 4.6 is available from Anthropic. Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is available from Mistral AI.
Claude Opus 4.6
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude Opus 4.6
View detailsAnthropic
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude Opus 4.6 vs Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512).
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