Model Comparison
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 4B InstructWhich is better in 2026?
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is 3.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct — which is better?
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) (by Mistral AI) and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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.
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (SimpleQA). Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is roughly 3.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (262,144 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) if…
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
Choose Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 1 of 1 shared benchmarks
- cost matters — it's about 3.3x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 262,144 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is better at 1 benchmark (SimpleQA).
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($0.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) ($1.50/1M tokens) is 2.5x more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct ($0.60/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is more expensive than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) has 671.0B more parameters than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct, making it 16775.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct accepts 262,144 input tokens compared to Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)'s 262,100 tokens. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 262,144 tokens, while Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is limited to 262,100 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
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
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct was released on 2025-09-22.
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is 2 months newer than Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.
Dec 4, 2025
7 months ago
2mo newerSep 22, 2025
9 months 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
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) is available from Mistral AI. Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct is available from DeepInfra.
Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512)
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.
Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct
View detailsAlibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) and Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Mistral Large 3 (675B Instruct 2512) vs Qwen3 VL 4B Instruct.
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