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Model Comparison

Kimi-k1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B BaseWhich is better in 2026?

Kimi-k1.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Kimi-k1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base — which is better?

Kimi-k1.5 (by Moonshot AI) 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.

Kimi-k1.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, MMMU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi-k1.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose Kimi-k1.5 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks

Choose Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base if…

  • 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

2 benchmarks

Kimi-k1.5 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (MMLU, MMMU), while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is better at 0 benchmarks.

Kimi-k1.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Aug 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base specifies output context (128,000 tokens).

Moonshot AI
Kimi-k1.5
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Fri Aug 07 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Kimi-k1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base support multimodal inputs.

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

Kimi-k1.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Kimi-k1.5 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.

Kimi-k1.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi-k1.5 was released on 2025-01-20, while Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base was released on 2025-03-17.

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is 2 months newer than Kimi-k1.5.

Kimi-k1.5

Jan 20, 2025

1.5 years ago

Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

Mar 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

1mo 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

Moonshot AI
Higher MMLU score (87.4% vs 81.0%)
Higher MMMU score (70.0% vs 59.3%)
Mistral AI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)
Has open weights

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi-k1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi-k1.5
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi-k1.5
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi-k1.5 vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base.

Which is better, Kimi-k1.5 or Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Kimi-k1.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi-k1.5 is made by Moonshot AI 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 Kimi-k1.5 compare to Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base in benchmarks?

Kimi-k1.5 scores MATH-500: 96.2%, CLUEWSC: 91.4%, C-Eval: 88.3%, MMLU: 87.4%, IFEval: 87.2%. Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base scores MMLU: 81.0%, TriviaQA: 80.5%, MMMU: 59.3%, MMLU-Pro: 56.0%, GPQA: 37.5%.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi-k1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Kimi-k1.5 supports an unknown number of 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 Kimi-k1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

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

Who makes Kimi-k1.5 and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base?

Kimi-k1.5 is developed by Moonshot AI and Mistral Small 3.1 24B Base is developed by Mistral AI.

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