Both models report the same input price at $0.05 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Gemma 3 12B vs Mistral Small 3
Pick Mistral Small 3 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 12B only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Mistral Small 3 for lower cost; pick Gemma 3 12B only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mistral Small 3 is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.04 (28% lower).
Cost-first pickMistral Small 3
Context-first pickGemma 3 12B
Sample savings$0.0428%
10x traffic gap$0.35
Gemma 3 12B has more context, but Mistral Small 3 saves $0.04 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.35. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Mistral Small 3 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Gemma 3 12B | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Mistral Small 3 | $0.33 | $0.29 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Mistral Small 3 | $0.2 | $0.13 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Mistral Small 3 | $0.8 | $0.45 |
Mistral Small 3 is $0.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (46.7% lower; 1.88x difference).
Gemma 3 12B has 98.3K more context (4x larger).
Mistral Small 3 is $0.04 cheaper on the standard workload (28% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
both models tie on input price; Mistral Small 3 has the lower output price; Gemma 3 12B offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Mistral Small 3 is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B and $0.09 for Mistral Small 3.
Choose Gemma 3 12B when you care most about larger context window.
Choose Mistral Small 3 when you care most about lower output-token price.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mistral Small 3 is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.04 (28% lower).
- Mistral Small 3 is $0.04 cheaper on the standard workload (28% lower).
- Both models report the same input price at $0.05 per 1M tokens.
- Mistral Small 3 is $0.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (46.7% lower; 1.88x difference).
- Gemma 3 12B has 98.3K more context (4x larger).
| Feature | Gemma 3 12B (Google) | Mistral Small 3 (Mistral) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.05 | $0.05 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.15 | $0.08 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.12 | $0.09 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 32.77K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #112 | #138 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Mistral Small 3 | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mistral Small 3 is estimated at $0.09 vs $0.12 for Gemma 3 12B, saving $0.04 (28% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Tie | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Mistral Small 3 | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Gemma 3 12B | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemma 3 12B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Pro Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Lyria 3 Clip Preview offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #3
- MiniMax M3 · MiniMax · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsGoogle catalog
Review all tracked Google models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Google modelsMistral catalog
Check other Mistral models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Mistral modelsGemma 3 introduces multimodality, supporting vision-language input and text outputs. It handles context windows up to 128k tokens, understands over 140 languages, and offers improved math, reasoning, and chat capabilities,...
Mistral Small 3 is a 24B-parameter language model optimized for low-latency performance across common AI tasks. Released under the Apache 2.0 license, it features both pre-trained and instruction-tuned versions designed...