Model Comparison
DeepSeek-V3 0324 vs Mistral Small 3 24B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
DeepSeek-V3 0324 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is 5.7x cheaper per token.
Verdict: DeepSeek-V3 0324 vs Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct — which is better?
DeepSeek-V3 0324 (by DeepSeek) and Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct (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.
DeepSeek-V3 0324 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 0324 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is roughly 5.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
DeepSeek-V3 0324 also accepts a larger context window (163,840 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose DeepSeek-V3 0324 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 163,840 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
Choose Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 5.7x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
DeepSeek-V3 0324 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
DeepSeek-V3 0324 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 0324 ($0.28/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 0324 ($1.14/1M tokens) is 8.1x more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3 0324 is more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
DeepSeek-V3 0324 has 647.0B more parameters than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct, making it 2695.8% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
DeepSeek-V3 0324 accepts 163,840 input tokens compared to Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct's 32,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 0324 can generate longer responses up to 163,840 tokens, while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is limited to 32,000 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
DeepSeek-V3 0324 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
DeepSeek-V3 0324 was released on 2025-03-25, while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct was released on 2025-01-30.
DeepSeek-V3 0324 is 2 months newer than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.
Mar 25, 2025
1.2 years ago
1mo newerJan 30, 2025
1.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while DeepSeek-V3 0324's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without DeepSeek-V3 0324's cutoff date.
—
Oct 2023
Provider Availability
DeepSeek-V3 0324 is available from Novita. Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Mistral AI.
DeepSeek-V3 0324
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
DeepSeek-V3 0324
View detailsDeepSeek
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 0324 vs Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.