Model Comparison

MAI-Code-1-Flash vs Mistral Medium 3.5Which is better in 2026?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Verdict: MAI-Code-1-Flash vs Mistral Medium 3.5 — which is better?

MAI-Code-1-Flash (by Microsoft) and Mistral Medium 3.5 (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.

MAI-Code-1-Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFBench), while Mistral Medium 3.5 is better at 1 benchmark (SWE-Bench Verified). Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Choose MAI-Code-1-Flash if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2026

Choose Mistral Medium 3.5 if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

MAI-Code-1-Flash outperforms in 1 benchmarks (IFBench), while Mistral Medium 3.5 is better at 1 benchmark (SWE-Bench Verified).

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.

Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Mistral Medium 3.5 specifies input context (256,000 tokens). Only Mistral Medium 3.5 specifies output context (256,000 tokens).

Microsoft
MAI-Code-1-Flash
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mistral AI
Mistral Medium 3.5
Input256,000 tokens
Output256,000 tokens
Fri Jul 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Mistral Medium 3.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas MAI-Code-1-Flash does not.

Mistral Medium 3.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

MAI-Code-1-Flash

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Mistral Medium 3.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

MAI-Code-1-Flash is licensed under a proprietary license, while Mistral Medium 3.5 uses Modified MIT License.

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

MAI-Code-1-Flash

Proprietary

Closed source

Mistral Medium 3.5

Modified MIT License

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

MAI-Code-1-Flash was released on 2026-06-02, while Mistral Medium 3.5 was released on 2026-04-29.

MAI-Code-1-Flash is 1 month newer than Mistral Medium 3.5.

MAI-Code-1-Flash

Jun 2, 2026

1 months ago

1mo newer
Mistral Medium 3.5

Apr 29, 2026

2 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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Microsoft
Higher IFBench score (75.0% vs 69.0%)
Mistral AI
Larger context window (256,000 tokens)
Supports multimodal inputs
Has open weights
Higher SWE-Bench Verified score (77.6% vs 71.6%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against MAI-Code-1-Flash and Mistral Medium 3.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

MAI-Code-1-Flash
✓ Preferred
Mistral Medium 3.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Microsoft
MAI-Code-1-Flash
Mistral AI
Mistral Medium 3.5

FAQ

Common questions about MAI-Code-1-Flash vs Mistral Medium 3.5.

Which is better, MAI-Code-1-Flash or Mistral Medium 3.5?

Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks. MAI-Code-1-Flash is made by Microsoft and Mistral Medium 3.5 is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does MAI-Code-1-Flash compare to Mistral Medium 3.5 in benchmarks?

MAI-Code-1-Flash scores AIME 2026: 92.5%, GPQA: 84.6%, IFBench: 75.0%, Tau2 Telecom: 71.7%, SWE-Bench Verified: 71.6%. Mistral Medium 3.5 scores COLLIE: 95.8%, Tau3 Telecom: 91.4%, AIME 2025: 86.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 77.6%, Tau3 Retail: 76.1%.

What are the context window sizes for MAI-Code-1-Flash and Mistral Medium 3.5?

MAI-Code-1-Flash supports an unknown number of tokens and Mistral Medium 3.5 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 MAI-Code-1-Flash and Mistral Medium 3.5?

Key differences include multimodal support (no vs yes), licensing (Proprietary vs Modified MIT License). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes MAI-Code-1-Flash and Mistral Medium 3.5?

MAI-Code-1-Flash is developed by Microsoft and Mistral Medium 3.5 is developed by Mistral AI.

Related comparisons