Model Comparison

Mistral NeMo Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instructWhich is better in 2026?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 1.5x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Mistral NeMo Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct — which is better?

Mistral NeMo Instruct (by Mistral AI) and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct (by Microsoft) 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 NeMo Instruct outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HellaSwag, Winogrande), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (MMLU, OpenBookQA, TruthfulQA). Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

On price, Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is roughly 1.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Mistral NeMo Instruct if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output

Choose Phi-3.5-mini-instruct if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 5 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 1.5x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

5 benchmarks

Mistral NeMo Instruct outperforms in 2 benchmarks (HellaSwag, Winogrande), while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is better at 3 benchmarks (MMLU, OpenBookQA, TruthfulQA).

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs less

For input processing, Mistral NeMo Instruct ($0.15/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Mistral NeMo Instruct ($0.15/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Mistral NeMo Instruct is more expensive than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
Mistral AI
Mistral NeMo Instruct
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerGoogle
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerAzure
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

8.2B diff

Mistral NeMo Instruct has 8.2B more parameters than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct, making it 215.8% larger.

Mistral AI
Mistral NeMo Instruct
12.0Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
3.8Bparameters
12.0B
Mistral NeMo Instruct
3.8B
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.

Mistral AI
Mistral NeMo Instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Mistral NeMo Instruct is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct uses MIT.

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

Mistral NeMo Instruct

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Mistral NeMo Instruct was released on 2024-07-18, while Phi-3.5-mini-instruct was released on 2024-08-23.

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 1 month newer than Mistral NeMo Instruct.

Mistral NeMo Instruct

Jul 18, 2024

2.0 years ago

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

Aug 23, 2024

1.9 years ago

1mo newer

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

Provider Availability

Mistral NeMo Instruct is available from Google, Mistral AI. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is available from Azure.

Mistral NeMo Instruct

google logo
Google
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M
mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Mistral AI
Higher HellaSwag score (83.5% vs 69.4%)
Higher Winogrande score (76.8% vs 68.5%)
Microsoft
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher MMLU score (69.0% vs 68.0%)
Higher OpenBookQA score (79.2% vs 60.6%)
Higher TruthfulQA score (64.0% vs 50.3%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Mistral NeMo Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Mistral NeMo Instruct
✓ Preferred
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Mistral AI
Mistral NeMo Instruct
Microsoft
Phi-3.5-mini-instruct

FAQ

Common questions about Mistral NeMo Instruct vs Phi-3.5-mini-instruct.

Which is better, Mistral NeMo Instruct or Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Mistral NeMo Instruct is made by Mistral AI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Mistral NeMo Instruct compare to Phi-3.5-mini-instruct in benchmarks?

Mistral NeMo Instruct scores HellaSwag: 83.5%, Winogrande: 76.8%, TriviaQA: 73.8%, CommonSenseQA: 70.4%, MMLU: 68.0%. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct scores GSM8k: 86.2%, ARC-C: 84.6%, RULER: 84.1%, PIQA: 81.0%, OpenBookQA: 79.2%.

Is Mistral NeMo Instruct cheaper than Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is 1.5x cheaper for input tokens. Mistral NeMo Instruct costs $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output via google. Phi-3.5-mini-instruct costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via azure.

What are the context window sizes for Mistral NeMo Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Mistral NeMo Instruct supports 128K tokens and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Mistral NeMo Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Key differences include input pricing ($0.15 vs $0.10/M), licensing (Apache 2.0 vs MIT). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Mistral NeMo Instruct and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct?

Mistral NeMo Instruct is developed by Mistral AI and Phi-3.5-mini-instruct is developed by Microsoft.

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