Model Comparison

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Pixtral-12B

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 2.4x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

4 benchmarks

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct outperforms in 3 benchmarks (DocVQA, MathVista, MMMU), while Pixtral-12B is better at 1 benchmark (ChartQA).

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Wed May 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct costs less

For input processing, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.05/1M tokens) is 3.0x cheaper than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

For output processing, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct ($0.10/1M tokens) is 1.5x cheaper than Pixtral-12B ($0.15/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Pixtral-12B is more expensive than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed May 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Input tokens$0.05
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerDeepinfra
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input tokens$0.15
Output tokens$0.15
Best providerMistral
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Model Size

Parameter count comparison

6.8B diff

Pixtral-12B has 6.8B more parameters than Phi-4-multimodal-instruct, making it 121.4% larger.

Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
5.6Bparameters
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
12.4Bparameters
5.6B
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
12.4B
Pixtral-12B

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Pixtral-12B is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Wed May 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Pixtral-12B support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Pixtral-12B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is licensed under MIT, while Pixtral-12B uses Apache 2.0.

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

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

MIT

Open weights

Pixtral-12B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct was released on 2025-02-01, while Pixtral-12B was released on 2024-09-17.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 5 months newer than Pixtral-12B.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Feb 1, 2025

1.3 years ago

4mo newer
Pixtral-12B

Sep 17, 2024

1.7 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-06-01, while Pixtral-12B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi-4-multimodal-instruct's training data extends to 2024-06-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Pixtral-12B's cutoff date.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

Jun 2024

Pixtral-12B

—

Provider Availability

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is available from DeepInfra. Pixtral-12B is available from Mistral AI.

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Pixtral-12B

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.15/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.15/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

Microsoft
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Higher DocVQA score (93.2% vs 90.7%)
Higher MathVista score (62.4% vs 58.0%)
Higher MMMU score (55.1% vs 52.5%)
Mistral AI
Higher ChartQA score (81.8% vs 81.4%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Microsoft
Phi-4-multimodal-instruct
Mistral AI
Pixtral-12B

FAQ

Common questions about Phi-4-multimodal-instruct vs Pixtral-12B.

Which is better, Phi-4-multimodal-instruct or Pixtral-12B?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is made by Microsoft and Pixtral-12B is made by Mistral AI. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Phi-4-multimodal-instruct compare to Pixtral-12B in benchmarks?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct scores ScienceQA Visual: 97.5%, DocVQA: 93.2%, MMBench: 86.7%, POPE: 85.6%, OCRBench: 84.4%. Pixtral-12B scores DocVQA: 90.7%, ChartQA: 81.8%, VQAv2: 78.6%, MT-Bench: 76.8%, HumanEval: 72.0%.

Is Phi-4-multimodal-instruct cheaper than Pixtral-12B?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is 3.0x cheaper for input tokens. Phi-4-multimodal-instruct costs $0.05/M input and $0.10/M output via deepinfra. Pixtral-12B costs $0.15/M input and $0.15/M output via mistral.

What are the context window sizes for Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Pixtral-12B?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct supports 128K tokens and Pixtral-12B 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 Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Pixtral-12B?

Key differences include input pricing ($0.05 vs $0.15/M), licensing (MIT vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Phi-4-multimodal-instruct and Pixtral-12B?

Phi-4-multimodal-instruct is developed by Microsoft and Pixtral-12B is developed by Mistral AI.