Model Comparison

Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B BaseWhich is better in 2026?

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is 20.0x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base — which is better?

Grok 4.5 (by xAI) and Mistral Small 3.1 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 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks. Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is roughly 20.0x 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 3.1 24B Base if…

  • cost matters — it's about 20.0x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Grok 4.5 outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks.

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sun Jul 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base costs less

For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base ($0.30/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Sun Jul 19 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok 4.5
Input tokens$2.00
Output tokens$6.00
Best providerxAI
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.30
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Grok 4.5 accepts 500,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base's 128,000 tokens. Only Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

xAI
Grok 4.5
Input500,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Sun Jul 19 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base uses Apache 2.0.

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

Grok 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base was released on 2025-03-17.

Grok 4.5 is 16 months newer than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base.

Grok 4.5

Jul 16, 2026

3 days ago

1.3yr newer
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Mar 17, 2025

1.3 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base's cutoff date.

Grok 4.5

Feb 2026

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

—

Provider Availability

Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is available from Mistral AI.

Grok 4.5

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $2.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $6.00/1M

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.30/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Larger context window (500,000 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (93.0% vs 37.5%)
Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok 4.5
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok 4.5
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

FAQ

Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base.

Which is better, Grok 4.5 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok 4.5 is made by xAI and Mistral Small 3.1 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 4.5 compare to Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base in benchmarks?

Grok 4.5 scores GPQA: 93.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 83.3%, Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index v1.1: 76.0%, SWE-Bench Pro: 64.7%, AA-Omniscience Index: 63.0%. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base scores MMLU: 81.0%, TriviaQA: 80.5%, MMMU: 59.3%, MMLU-Pro: 56.0%, GPQA: 37.5%.

Is Grok 4.5 cheaper than Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. Grok 4.5 costs $2.00/M input and $6.00/M output via xai. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base costs $0.10/M input and $0.30/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Grok 4.5 supports 500K tokens and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base 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 Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Key differences include context window (500K vs 128K), input pricing ($2.00 vs $0.10/M), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok 4.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Grok 4.5 is developed by xAI and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is developed by Mistral AI.

Related comparisons