Model Comparison

GPT-4.1 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: GPT-4.1 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct — which is better?

GPT-4.1 (by OpenAI) and Mistral Small 3.1 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.

GPT-4.1 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMMU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose GPT-4.1 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025

Choose Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

GPT-4.1 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU, MMMU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.

GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4.1 specifies input context (1,047,576 tokens). Only GPT-4.1 specifies output context (32,768 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4.1
Input1,047,576 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-4.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

GPT-4.1

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4.1 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct uses Apache 2.0.

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

GPT-4.1

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4.1 was released on 2025-04-14, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct was released on 2025-03-17.

GPT-4.1 is 1 month newer than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct.

GPT-4.1

Apr 14, 2025

1.3 years ago

4w newer
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Mar 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4.1 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-4.1's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct's cutoff date.

GPT-4.1

Jun 2024

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

—

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

OpenAI
Larger context window (1,047,576 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (66.3% vs 46.0%)
Higher MMLU score (90.2% vs 80.6%)
Higher MMMU score (74.8% vs 59.3%)
Mistral AI
Has open weights
OpenAIGPT-4.1
Mistral AIMistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-4.1
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-4.1
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4.1 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct.

Which is better, GPT-4.1 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

GPT-4.1 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. GPT-4.1 is made by OpenAI and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does GPT-4.1 compare to Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct in benchmarks?

GPT-4.1 scores MMLU: 90.2%, CharXiv-D: 87.9%, IFEval: 87.4%, MMMLU: 87.3%, MMMU: 74.8%. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct scores HumanEval: 88.4%, MMLU: 80.6%, TriviaQA: 80.5%, MBPP: 74.7%, MATH: 69.3%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

GPT-4.1 supports 1.0M tokens and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

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

Who makes GPT-4.1 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

GPT-4.1 is developed by OpenAI and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is developed by Mistral AI.

Related comparisons