Model Comparison
MiniMax M1 80K vs Mistral SmallWhich is better in 2026?
Comparing MiniMax M1 80K and Mistral Small across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
Verdict: MiniMax M1 80K vs Mistral Small — which is better?
MiniMax M1 80K (by MiniMax) 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.
On price, Mistral Small is roughly 3.2x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
MiniMax M1 80K also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose MiniMax M1 80K if…
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jun 2025
Choose Mistral Small if…
- cost matters — it's about 3.2x cheaper per token
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
MiniMax M1 80K 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
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, MiniMax M1 80K ($0.55/1M tokens) is 2.8x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.20/1M tokens).
For output processing, MiniMax M1 80K ($2.20/1M tokens) is 3.7x more expensive than Mistral Small ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, MiniMax M1 80K is more expensive than Mistral Small.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
MiniMax M1 80K has 434.0B more parameters than Mistral Small, making it 1972.7% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
MiniMax M1 80K accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small's 32,768 tokens. MiniMax M1 80K can generate longer responses up to 40,000 tokens, while Mistral Small is limited to 32,768 tokens.
License
Usage and distribution terms
MiniMax M1 80K is licensed under MIT, while Mistral Small uses Mistral Research License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Mistral Research License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
MiniMax M1 80K was released on 2025-06-16, while Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17.
MiniMax M1 80K is 9 months newer than Mistral Small.
Jun 16, 2025
1.1 years ago
9mo newerSep 17, 2024
1.9 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
MiniMax M1 80K is available from Novita. Mistral Small is available from Mistral AI.
MiniMax M1 80K
Mistral Small
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
MiniMax M1 80K
View detailsMiniMax
Mistral Small
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against MiniMax M1 80K and Mistral Small side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about MiniMax M1 80K vs Mistral Small.