Model Comparison

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Mistral SmallWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Mistral Small across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Mistral Small — which is better?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (by Google) 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 2.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Choose Mistral Small if…

  • cost matters — it's about 2.8x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite 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, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.20/1M tokens).

For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens) is 4.2x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Mistral Small.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Jul 23 2026 • llm-stats.com
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerGoogle
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input tokens$0.20
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Mistral Small's 32,768 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Mistral Small is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Thu Jul 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports multimodal inputs, whereas Mistral Small does not.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Small uses Mistral Research License.

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

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small

Mistral Research License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21, while Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 22 months newer than Mistral Small.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Jul 21, 2026

2 days ago

1.8yr newer
Mistral Small

Sep 17, 2024

1.8 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Mistral Small's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Mistral Small's cutoff date.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

Mar 2026

Mistral Small

—

Provider Availability

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Mistral Small is available from Mistral AI.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M

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

Google
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Mistral Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Google
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Mistral AI
Mistral Small

FAQ

Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Mistral Small.

Which is better, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite or Mistral Small?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (Google) 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 Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite compare to Mistral Small in benchmarks?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite scores CharXiv-R: 76.5%, OSWorld-Verified: 74.0%, SWE-Bench Pro: 54.2%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 54.0%, MLE-Bench: 39.2%.

Is Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite cheaper than Mistral Small?

Mistral Small is 1.5x cheaper for input tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.30/M input and $2.50/M output via google. Mistral Small costs $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Mistral Small?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite supports 1.0M 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 Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Mistral Small?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 33K), input pricing ($0.30 vs $0.20/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Mistral Research License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Mistral Small?

Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is developed by Google and Mistral Small is developed by Mistral AI.

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