Model Comparison

Grok-2 Image 1212 vs Magistral Small 2506Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Grok-2 Image 1212 vs Magistral Small 2506 — which is better?

Grok-2 Image 1212 (by xAI) and Magistral Small 2506 (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.

Choose Grok-2 Image 1212 if…

  • you are already invested in the xAI ecosystem

Choose Magistral Small 2506 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok-2 Image 1212 specifies input context (131,072 tokens).

xAI
Grok-2 Image 1212
Input131,072 tokens
Output- tokens
Mistral AI
Magistral Small 2506
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 Image 1212 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Magistral Small 2506 uses Apache 2.0.

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

Grok-2 Image 1212

Proprietary

Closed source

Magistral Small 2506

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 Image 1212 was released on 2024-12-12, while Magistral Small 2506 was released on 2025-06-10.

Magistral Small 2506 is 6 months newer than Grok-2 Image 1212.

Grok-2 Image 1212

Dec 12, 2024

1.6 years ago

Magistral Small 2506

Jun 10, 2025

1.1 years ago

6mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Magistral Small 2506 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-06-01, while Grok-2 Image 1212's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Magistral Small 2506's training data extends to 2025-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2 Image 1212's cutoff date.

Grok-2 Image 1212

—

Magistral Small 2506

Jun 2025

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Mistral AI
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 Image 1212
✓ Preferred
Magistral Small 2506
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 Image 1212
Mistral AI
Magistral Small 2506

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 Image 1212 vs Magistral Small 2506.

Which is better, Grok-2 Image 1212 or Magistral Small 2506?

Grok-2 Image 1212 (xAI) and Magistral Small 2506 (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 Grok-2 Image 1212 compare to Magistral Small 2506 in benchmarks?

Magistral Small 2506 scores AIME 2024: 70.7%, GPQA: 68.2%, AIME 2025: 62.8%, LiveCodeBench: 51.3%.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506?

Grok-2 Image 1212 supports 131K tokens and Magistral Small 2506 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 Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506?

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

Who makes Grok-2 Image 1212 and Magistral Small 2506?

Grok-2 Image 1212 is developed by xAI and Magistral Small 2506 is developed by Mistral AI.

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