Model Comparison

Mistral Small vs o1-miniWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Mistral Small and o1-mini across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Mistral Small vs o1-mini — which is better?

Mistral Small (by Mistral AI) and o1-mini (by OpenAI) 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 17.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

o1-mini also accepts a larger context window (128,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Choose Mistral Small if…

  • cost matters — it's about 17.5x cheaper per token
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Sep 2024
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose o1-mini if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 128,000 token context window
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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Mistral Small and o1-minidon'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

Mistral Small costs less

For input processing, Mistral Small ($0.20/1M tokens) is 15.0x cheaper than o1-mini ($3.00/1M tokens).

For output processing, Mistral Small ($0.60/1M tokens) is 20.0x cheaper than o1-mini ($12.00/1M tokens).

In conclusion, o1-mini is more expensive than Mistral Small.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input tokens$0.20
Output tokens$0.60
Best providerMistral
OpenAI
o1-mini
Input tokens$3.00
Output tokens$12.00
Best providerOpenAI
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

o1-mini accepts 128,000 input tokens compared to Mistral Small's 32,768 tokens. o1-mini can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Mistral Small is limited to 32,768 tokens.

Mistral AI
Mistral Small
Input32,768 tokens
Output32,768 tokens
OpenAI
o1-mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Fri Jun 12 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Mistral Small is licensed under Mistral Research License, while o1-mini uses a proprietary license.

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

Mistral Small

Mistral Research License

Open weights

o1-mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Mistral Small was released on 2024-09-17, while o1-mini was released on 2024-09-12.

Mistral Small is 0 month newer than o1-mini.

Mistral Small

Sep 17, 2024

1.7 years ago

5d newer
o1-mini

Sep 12, 2024

1.7 years ago

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 Small is available from Mistral AI. o1-mini is available from OpenAI, Azure.

Mistral Small

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.60/1M

o1-mini

openai logo
OpenAI
Input Price:Input: $3.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $12.00/1M
azure logo
Azure
Input Price:Input: $3.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $13.20/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Mistral AI
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
OpenAI
Larger context window (128,000 tokens)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Mistral AI
Mistral Small
OpenAI
o1-mini

FAQ

Common questions about Mistral Small vs o1-mini.

Which is better, Mistral Small or o1-mini?

Mistral Small (Mistral AI) and o1-mini (OpenAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Mistral Small compare to o1-mini in benchmarks?

o1-mini scores HumanEval: 92.4%, MATH-500: 90.0%, MMLU: 85.2%, SuperGLUE: 75.0%, GPQA: 60.0%.

Is Mistral Small cheaper than o1-mini?

Mistral Small is 15.0x cheaper for input tokens. Mistral Small costs $0.20/M input and $0.60/M output via mistral. o1-mini costs $3.00/M input and $12.00/M output via openai.

What are the context window sizes for Mistral Small and o1-mini?

Mistral Small supports 33K tokens and o1-mini 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 Small and o1-mini?

Key differences include context window (33K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.20 vs $3.00/M), licensing (Mistral Research License vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Mistral Small and o1-mini?

Mistral Small is developed by Mistral AI and o1-mini is developed by OpenAI.

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