Model Comparison

Grok-1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B InstructWhich is better in 2026?

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct — which is better?

Grok-1.5 (by xAI) 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.

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is better at 5 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro, MMMU). Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-1.5 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 6 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

Grok-1.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is better at 5 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH, MMLU-Pro, MMMU).

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jun 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Grok-1.5 does not.

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

Grok-1.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-1.5 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.

Grok-1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct was released on 2025-03-17.

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is 12 months newer than Grok-1.5.

Grok-1.5

Mar 28, 2024

2.2 years ago

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

Mar 17, 2025

1.2 years ago

11mo newer

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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Higher MMLU score (81.3% vs 80.6%)
Supports multimodal inputs
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (46.0% vs 35.9%)
Higher HumanEval score (88.4% vs 74.1%)
Higher MATH score (69.3% vs 50.6%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (66.8% vs 51.0%)
Higher MMMU score (59.3% vs 53.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-1.5
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct.

Which is better, Grok-1.5 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-1.5 is made by xAI 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 Grok-1.5 compare to Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct in benchmarks?

Grok-1.5 scores GSM8k: 90.0%, DocVQA: 85.6%, MMLU: 81.3%, HumanEval: 74.1%, MMMU: 53.6%. 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 main differences between Grok-1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct?

Grok-1.5 is developed by xAI and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Instruct is developed by Mistral AI.