Model Comparison
Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3 24B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is 34.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct — which is better?
Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Mistral Small 3 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 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is roughly 34.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Grok 4.5 also accepts a larger context window (500,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Grok 4.5 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- you process long inputs — it offers a 500,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct if…
- cost matters — it's about 34.3x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 28.6x more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct ($0.07/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 42.9x more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct's 32,000 tokens. Only Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct specifies output context (32,000 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Grok 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct does not.
Grok 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Grok 4.5
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct 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
Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct was released on 2025-01-30.
Grok 4.5 is 18 months newer than Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.
Jul 16, 2026
1 weeks ago
1.5yr newerJan 30, 2025
1.5 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct has a cutoff of 2023-10-01.
Grok 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2026-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct (2023-10-01).
Feb 2026
2.3 yr newerOct 2023
Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Mistral AI.
Grok 4.5
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3 24B Instruct.