Model Comparison
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B vs Mistral SmallWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B and Mistral Small across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B vs Mistral Small — which is better?
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B (by DeepSeek) 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, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B if…
- cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jan 2025
Choose Mistral Small if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B 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
For input processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Mistral Small ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B ($0.40/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than Mistral Small ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Mistral Small is more expensive than DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B has 48.6B more parameters than Mistral Small, making it 220.9% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small's 32,768 tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Mistral Small is limited to 32,768 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is licensed under MIT, while Mistral Small uses Mistral Research License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Mistral Research License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B was released on 2025-01-20, while Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is 4 months newer than Mistral Small.
Jan 20, 2025
1.4 years ago
4mo newerSep 17, 2024
1.8 years 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
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is available from DeepInfra. Mistral Small is available from Mistral AI.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B
Mistral Small
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Mistral Small
View detailsMistral AI
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B vs Mistral Small.