Model Comparison

Kimi K3 vs Mistral Small 4Which is better in 2026?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mistral Small 4 is 22.9x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Kimi K3 vs Mistral Small 4 — which is better?

Kimi K3 (by Moonshot AI) and Mistral Small 4 (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 K3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU-Pro), while Mistral Small 4 is better at 0 benchmarks. Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

On price, Mistral Small 4 is roughly 22.9x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Kimi K3 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Kimi K3 if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Choose Mistral Small 4 if…

  • cost matters — it's about 22.9x cheaper per token
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

Kimi K3 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU-Pro), while Mistral Small 4 is better at 0 benchmarks.

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Mistral Small 4 costs less

For input processing, Kimi K3 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Mistral Small 4 ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Kimi K3 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 25.0x more expensive than Mistral Small 4 ($0.60/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Kimi K3 is more expensive than Mistral Small 4.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$15.00
Best providerUnknown Organization
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 4
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerMistral
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

2681.0B diff

Kimi K3 has 2681.0B more parameters than Mistral Small 4, making it 2252.9% larger.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
2.8Tparameters
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 4
119.0Bparameters
2800.0B
Kimi K3
119.0B
Mistral Small 4

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Kimi K3 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Mistral Small 4's 256,000 tokens. Kimi K3 can generate longer responses up to 1,048,576 tokens, while Mistral Small 4 is limited to 256,000 tokens.

Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output1,048,576 tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 4
Input256,000 tokens
Output256,000 tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Kimi K3 and Mistral Small 4 support multimodal inputs.

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

Kimi K3

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Small 4

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Kimi K3 was released on 2026-07-16, while Mistral Small 4 was released on 2026-03-16.

Kimi K3 is 4 months newer than Mistral Small 4.

Kimi K3

Jul 16, 2026

1 weeks ago

4mo newer
Mistral Small 4

Mar 16, 2026

4 months ago

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

Provider Availability

Kimi K3 is available from Moonshot AI. Mistral Small 4 is available from Mistral AI.

Kimi K3

moonshot logo
Unknown Organization
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $15.00/1M

Mistral Small 4

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Moonshot AI
Larger context window (1,048,576 tokens)
Higher GPQA score (93.5% vs 71.2%)
Higher MMMU-Pro score (81.6% vs 60.0%)
Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Kimi K3 and Mistral Small 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Kimi K3
✓ Preferred
Mistral Small 4
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Moonshot AI
Kimi K3
Mistral AI
Mistral Small 4

FAQ

Common questions about Kimi K3 vs Mistral Small 4.

Which is better, Kimi K3 or Mistral Small 4?

Kimi K3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Kimi K3 is made by Moonshot AI and Mistral Small 4 is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Kimi K3 compare to Mistral Small 4 in benchmarks?

Kimi K3 scores MathVision: 97.8%, DeepSearchQA: 95.0%, GPQA: 93.5%, CharXiv-R: 91.3%, BrowseComp: 91.2%. Mistral Small 4 scores AIME 2025: 83.8%, MMLU-Pro: 78.0%, AA-LCR: 71.2%, GPQA: 71.2%, LiveCodeBench: 63.6%.

Is Kimi K3 cheaper than Mistral Small 4?

Mistral Small 4 is 20.0x cheaper for input tokens. Kimi K3 costs $3.00/M input and $15.00/M output via moonshot. Mistral Small 4 costs $0.15/M input and $0.60/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Kimi K3 and Mistral Small 4?

Kimi K3 supports 1.0M tokens and Mistral Small 4 supports 256K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Kimi K3 and Mistral Small 4?

Key differences include context window (1.0M vs 256K), input pricing ($3.00 vs $0.15/M), licensing (Unknown vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Kimi K3 and Mistral Small 4?

Kimi K3 is developed by Moonshot AI and Mistral Small 4 is developed by Mistral AI.

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