Model Comparison
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) vs Mistral Small 4Which is better in 2026?
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) is 1.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) vs Mistral Small 4 — which is better?
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) (by Mistral 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.
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, LiveCodeBench), while Mistral Small 4 is better at 0 benchmarks. Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) is roughly 1.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) also accepts a larger context window (262,100 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 1.3x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,100 token context window
Choose Mistral Small 4 if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Mar 2026
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) outperforms in 2 benchmarks (AIME 2025, LiveCodeBench), while Mistral Small 4 is better at 0 benchmarks.
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) ($0.20/1M tokens) is 1.3x more expensive than Mistral Small 4 ($0.15/1M tokens).
For output processing, Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) ($0.20/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Mistral Small 4 ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Mistral Small 4 is more expensive than Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512).*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Mistral Small 4 has 105.0B more parameters than Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512), making it 750.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) accepts 262,100 input tokens compared to Mistral Small 4's 256,000 tokens. Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) can generate longer responses up to 262,100 tokens, while Mistral Small 4 is limited to 256,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) and Mistral Small 4 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512)
Mistral Small 4
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Mistral Small 4 was released on 2026-03-16.
Mistral Small 4 is 3 months newer than Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512).
Dec 4, 2025
7 months ago
Mar 16, 2026
4 months ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) is available from Mistral AI. Mistral Small 4 is available from Mistral AI.
Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512)
Mistral Small 4
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Mistral Small 4
View detailsMistral AI
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) and Mistral Small 4 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Ministral 3 (14B Reasoning 2512) vs Mistral Small 4.
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