Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Mistral Small 3 24B BaseWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Mistral Small 3 24B Base — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) and Mistral Small 3 24B Base (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-2 mini outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Mistral Small 3 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks

Choose Mistral Small 3 24B Base if…

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

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Grok-2 mini outperforms in 4 benchmarks (GPQA, MATH, MMLU, MMLU-Pro), while Mistral Small 3 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 22 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-2 mini and Mistral Small 3 24B Base support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-2 mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 3 24B Base

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok-2 mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Small 3 24B Base uses Apache 2.0.

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

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small 3 24B Base

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Mistral Small 3 24B Base was released on 2025-01-30.

Mistral Small 3 24B Base is 6 months newer than Grok-2 mini.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Mistral Small 3 24B Base

Jan 30, 2025

1.5 years ago

5mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Mistral Small 3 24B Base has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while Grok-2 mini's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Mistral Small 3 24B Base's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Grok-2 mini's cutoff date.

Grok-2 mini

—

Mistral Small 3 24B Base

Oct 2023

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

xAI
Higher GPQA score (51.0% vs 34.4%)
Higher MATH score (73.0% vs 46.0%)
Higher MMLU score (86.2% vs 80.7%)
Higher MMLU-Pro score (72.0% vs 54.4%)
Mistral AI
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Mistral Small 3 24B Base side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small 3 24B Base
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3 24B Base

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Mistral Small 3 24B Base.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Mistral Small 3 24B Base?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Mistral Small 3 24B Base is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 mini compare to Mistral Small 3 24B Base in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Mistral Small 3 24B Base scores ARC-C: 91.3%, GSM8k: 80.7%, MMLU: 80.7%, TriviaQA: 80.3%, MBPP: 69.6%.

What are the main differences between Grok-2 mini and Mistral Small 3 24B Base?

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

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Mistral Small 3 24B Base?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Mistral Small 3 24B Base is developed by Mistral AI.

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