Model Comparison

Devstral Small 1.1 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instructWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Devstral Small 1.1 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct — which is better?

Devstral Small 1.1 (by Mistral AI) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (by Microsoft) 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, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is roughly 1.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Devstral Small 1.1 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2025

Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instructdon'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

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs less

For input processing, Devstral Small 1.1 ($0.10/1M tokens) costs the same as Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Devstral Small 1.1 ($0.30/1M tokens) is 3.0x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Devstral Small 1.1 is more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Mistral AI
Devstral Small 1.1
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.30
Best providerMistral
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

20.2B diff

Devstral Small 1.1 has 20.2B more parameters than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct, making it 531.6% larger.

Mistral AI
Devstral Small 1.1
24.0Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
3.8Bparameters
24.0B
Devstral Small 1.1
3.8B
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.

Mistral AI
Devstral Small 1.1
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Sat Jun 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Devstral Small 1.1 is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct uses MIT.

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

Devstral Small 1.1

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Devstral Small 1.1 was released on 2025-07-11, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Devstral Small 1.1 is 11 months newer than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Devstral Small 1.1

Jul 11, 2025

11 months ago

10mo newer
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 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.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Devstral Small 1.1 is available from Mistral AI. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.

Devstral Small 1.1

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Mistral AI

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Microsoft
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Devstral Small 1.1
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Mistral AI
Devstral Small 1.1
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Devstral Small 1.1 vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Which is better, Devstral Small 1.1 or Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Devstral Small 1.1 (Mistral AI) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (Microsoft) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Devstral Small 1.1 compare to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct in benchmarks?

Devstral Small 1.1 scores SWE-Bench Verified: 53.6%. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%.

Is Devstral Small 1.1 cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Both models cost $0.10 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Devstral Small 1.1 supports 128K tokens and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Key differences include licensing (Apache 2.0 vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Devstral Small 1.1 and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Devstral Small 1.1 is developed by Mistral AI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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