Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) vs Mistral Large 3
Mistral Large 3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Mistral AI · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Mistral Large 3 is better at 4 benchmarks (Arena Hard, MATH, MM-MT-Bench, Wild Bench). Mistral Large 3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512)
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Choose Mistral Large 3
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 4 of 4 shared benchmarks
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Mistral Large 3 is better at 4 benchmarks (Arena Hard, MATH, MM-MT-Bench, Wild Bench).
Mistral Large 3 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Mistral Large 3 has 667.0B more parameters than Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512), making it 8337.5% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Mistral Large 3 specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only Mistral Large 3 specifies output context (8,192 tokens).
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) and Mistral Large 3 support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512)
Mistral Large 3
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 (8B Instruct 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Mistral Large 3 was released on 2025-09-01.
Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) is 3 months newer than Mistral Large 3.
Dec 4, 2025
8 months ago
3mo newerSep 1, 2025
11 months ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) and Mistral Large 3 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Ministral 3 (8B Instruct 2512) vs Mistral Large 3.