Model Comparison

GPT-5 nano vs Ministral 8B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B Instruct across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: GPT-5 nano vs Ministral 8B Instruct — which is better?

GPT-5 nano (by OpenAI) and Ministral 8B 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.

On price, Ministral 8B Instruct is roughly 1.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

GPT-5 nano also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose GPT-5 nano if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2025

Choose Ministral 8B Instruct if…

  • cost matters — it's about 1.4x 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

GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B 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

Ministral 8B Instruct costs less

For input processing, GPT-5 nano ($0.05/1M tokens) is 2.0x cheaper than Ministral 8B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5 nano ($0.40/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Ministral 8B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5 nano is more expensive than Ministral 8B Instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com
OpenAI
GPT-5 nano
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerOpenAI
Mistral AI
Ministral 8B Instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5 nano accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Ministral 8B Instruct's 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.

OpenAI
GPT-5 nano
Input400,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mistral AI
Ministral 8B Instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Tue Jul 28 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

GPT-5 nano supports multimodal inputs, whereas Ministral 8B Instruct does not.

GPT-5 nano can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GPT-5 nano

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Ministral 8B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-5 nano is licensed under a proprietary license, while Ministral 8B Instruct uses Mistral Research License.

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

GPT-5 nano

Proprietary

Closed source

Ministral 8B Instruct

Mistral Research License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5 nano was released on 2025-08-07, while Ministral 8B Instruct was released on 2024-10-16.

GPT-5 nano is 10 months newer than Ministral 8B Instruct.

GPT-5 nano

Aug 7, 2025

11 months ago

9mo newer
Ministral 8B Instruct

Oct 16, 2024

1.8 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-5 nano has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, while Ministral 8B Instruct's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-5 nano's training data extends to 2024-05-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Ministral 8B Instruct's cutoff date.

GPT-5 nano

May 2024

Ministral 8B Instruct

—

Provider Availability

GPT-5 nano is available from OpenAI. Ministral 8B Instruct is available from Mistral AI.

GPT-5 nano

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M

Ministral 8B Instruct

mistral logo
Mistral
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

OpenAI
Larger context window (400,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Less expensive input tokens
Mistral AI
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-5 nano
✓ Preferred
Ministral 8B Instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
OpenAI
GPT-5 nano
Mistral AI
Ministral 8B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-5 nano vs Ministral 8B Instruct.

Which is better, GPT-5 nano or Ministral 8B Instruct?

GPT-5 nano (OpenAI) and Ministral 8B Instruct (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 GPT-5 nano compare to Ministral 8B Instruct in benchmarks?

GPT-5 nano scores AIME 2025: 85.2%, HMMT 2025: 75.6%, GPQA: 71.2%, FrontierMath: 9.6%, Humanity's Last Exam: 8.7%. Ministral 8B Instruct scores MT-Bench: 83.0%, Winogrande: 75.3%, ARC-C: 71.9%, Arena Hard: 70.9%, MBPP pass@1: 70.0%.

Is GPT-5 nano cheaper than Ministral 8B Instruct?

GPT-5 nano is 2.0x cheaper for input tokens. GPT-5 nano costs $0.05/M input and $0.40/M output via openai. Ministral 8B Instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B Instruct?

GPT-5 nano supports 400K tokens and Ministral 8B 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 GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B Instruct?

Key differences include context window (400K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.05 vs $0.10/M), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Mistral Research License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-5 nano and Ministral 8B Instruct?

GPT-5 nano is developed by OpenAI and Ministral 8B Instruct is developed by Mistral AI.

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