GPT-4o mini vs Pixtral-12B
GPT-4o mini and Pixtral-12B are closely matched at 3.9 and -1.4 on the LLM Stats Score. Pixtral-12B is 1.7x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4o mini and Pixtral-12B are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 3.9 and -1.4.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT-4o mini wins 4; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Pixtral-12B is roughly 1.7x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-4o mini
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 4 of 5 exact shared results
Choose Pixtral-12B
- cost matters — it's about 1.7x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
9 reported for GPT-4o mini · 12 for Pixtral-12B
GPT-4o mini outperforms in 4 benchmarks (HumanEval, MATH, MMLU, MMMU), while Pixtral-12B is better at 1 benchmark (MathVista).
GPT-4o mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.15/1M tokens) costs the same as Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4o mini ($0.60/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-4o mini is more expensive than Pixtral-12B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. GPT-4o mini can generate longer responses up to 16,384 tokens, while Pixtral-12B is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both GPT-4o mini and Pixtral-12B support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-4o mini
Pixtral-12B
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT-4o mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Pixtral-12B uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-4o mini was released on 2024-07-18, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.
Pixtral-12B is 2 months newer than GPT-4o mini.
Jul 18, 2024
2.1 years ago
Sep 17, 2024
2.0 years ago
2mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4o mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while Pixtral-12B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4o mini's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Pixtral-12B's cutoff date.
Oct 2023
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Provider Availability
GPT-4o mini is available from Azure. Pixtral-12B is available from Mistral AI.
GPT-4o mini
Pixtral-12B
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4o mini and Pixtral-12B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4o mini vs Pixtral-12B.