Model Comparison
Magistral Small 2506 vs Mistral SmallWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing Magistral Small 2506 and Mistral Small across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: Magistral Small 2506 vs Mistral Small — which is better?
Magistral Small 2506 (by Mistral AI) and Mistral Small (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.
Choose Magistral Small 2506 if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
Choose Mistral Small if…
- you want predictable pricing at $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Magistral Small 2506 and Mistral Smalldon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Magistral Small 2506 has 2.0B more parameters than Mistral Small, making it 9.1% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Mistral Small specifies input context (32,768 tokens). Only Mistral Small specifies output context (32,768 tokens).
License
Usage and distribution terms
Magistral Small 2506 is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Mistral Small uses Mistral Research License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Mistral Research License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Magistral Small 2506 was released on 2025-06-10, while Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17.
Magistral Small 2506 is 9 months newer than Mistral Small.
Jun 10, 2025
1.0 years ago
8mo newerSep 17, 2024
1.7 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Magistral Small 2506 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-06-01, while Mistral Small's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Magistral Small 2506's training data extends to 2025-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Mistral Small's cutoff date.
Jun 2025
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Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Magistral Small 2506
View detailsMistral AI
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Mistral Small
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
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FAQ
Common questions about Magistral Small 2506 vs Mistral Small.