Model Comparison

Command R+ vs Mistral SmallWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Command R+ and Mistral Small across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Command R+ vs Mistral Small — which is better?

Command R+ (by Cohere) and Mistral Small (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.

On price, Mistral Small is roughly 1.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Command R+ also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Command R+ if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window

Choose Mistral Small if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Command R+ and Mistral Smalldon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Mistral Small costs less

For input processing, Command R+ ($0.25/1M tokens) is 1.3x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.20/1M tokens).

For output processing, Command R+ ($1.00/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Command R+ is more expensive than Mistral Small.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Cohere
Command R+
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$1.00
Best providerCohere
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input tokens$0.20
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

82.0B diff

Command R+ has 82.0B more parameters than Mistral Small, making it 372.7% larger.

Cohere
Command R+
104.0Bparameters
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
22.0Bparameters
104.0B
Command R+
22.0B
Mistral Small

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Command R+ accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small's 32,768 tokens. Command R+ can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Mistral Small is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Cohere
Command R+
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Command R+ is licensed under CC BY-NC, while Mistral Small uses Mistral Research License.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Command R+

CC BY-NC

Open weights

Mistral Small

Mistral Research License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Command R+ was released on 2024-08-30, while Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17.

Mistral Small is 1 month newer than Command R+.

Command R+

Aug 30, 2024

1.8 years ago

Mistral Small

Sep 17, 2024

1.8 years ago

2w newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Command R+ is available from Cohere, Bedrock. Mistral Small is available from Mistral AI.

Command R+

cohere logo
Cohere
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.00/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Mistral Small

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Cohere
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Command R+ and Mistral Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Command R+
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Cohere
Command R+
Mistral AI
Mistral Small

FAQ

Common questions about Command R+ vs Mistral Small.

Which is better, Command R+ or Mistral Small?

Command R+ (Cohere) and Mistral Small (Mistral AI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Command R+ compare to Mistral Small in benchmarks?

Command R+ scores HellaSwag: 88.6%, Winogrande: 85.4%, MMLU: 75.7%, ARC-C: 71.0%, GSM8k: 70.7%.

Is Command R+ cheaper than Mistral Small?

Mistral Small is 1.3x cheaper for input tokens. Command R+ costs $0.25/M input and $1.00/M output via cohere. Mistral Small costs $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Command R+ and Mistral Small?

Command R+ supports 128K tokens and Mistral Small supports 33K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Command R+ and Mistral Small?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 33K), input pricing ($0.25 vs $0.20/M), licensing (CC BY-NC vs Mistral Research License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Command R+ and Mistral Small?

Command R+ is developed by Cohere and Mistral Small is developed by Mistral AI.

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