API cost decision in 10 seconds

Gemma 4 31B vs Ministral 3 14B 2512

Pick Ministral 3 14B 2512 when budget is the priority.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T10:03:26Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T13:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Ministral 3 14B 2512 when budget is the priority.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 14B 2512 is estimated at $0.3 vs $0.3 for Gemma 4 31B, saving $0.005 (1.6% lower).

Cost-first pickMinistral 3 14B 2512

Context-first pickBoth models

Sample savings$0.0051.6%

10x traffic gap$0.05

The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.05. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Gemma 4 31B, balanced workload favors Ministral 3 14B 2512, and output-heavy chatbot favors Ministral 3 14B 2512.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Gemma 4 31B	Ministral 3 14B 2512
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Gemma 4 31B	$0.78	$1.1
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Ministral 3 14B 2512	$0.49	$0.4
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Ministral 3 14B 2512	$1.97	$1.2

Cheaper input Gemma 4 31B $0.12 vs $0.2 / 1M

Gemma 4 31B is $0.08 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).

Cheaper output Ministral 3 14B 2512 $0.37 vs $0.2 / 1M

Ministral 3 14B 2512 is $0.17 cheaper per 1M output tokens (45.9% lower; 1.85x difference).

Larger context Tie 262.14K vs 262.14K

Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.

Sample workload Ministral 3 14B 2512 $0.3 vs $0.3

Ministral 3 14B 2512 is $0.005 cheaper on the standard workload (1.6% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Gemma 4 31B Calculating… Estimated API cost

Ministral 3 14B 2512 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

Gemma 4 31B has the lower input price; Ministral 3 14B 2512 has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ministral 3 14B 2512 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.3 for Gemma 4 31B and $0.3 for Ministral 3 14B 2512.

Best Fit

Choose Gemma 4 31B when you care most about lower input-token price.

Choose Ministral 3 14B 2512 when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 14B 2512 is estimated at $0.3 vs $0.3 for Gemma 4 31B, saving $0.005 (1.6% lower).
Ministral 3 14B 2512 is $0.005 cheaper on the standard workload (1.6% lower).
Gemma 4 31B is $0.08 cheaper per 1M input tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
Ministral 3 14B 2512 is $0.17 cheaper per 1M output tokens (45.9% lower; 1.85x difference).
Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Gemma 4 31B (Google)	Ministral 3 14B 2512 (Mistral)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.12	$0.2
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.37	$0.2
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.3	$0.3
Context Window	262.14K	262.14K
Release Date	2026-04-02	2025-12-02

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Ministral 3 14B 2512	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 14B 2512 is estimated at $0.3 vs $0.3 for Gemma 4 31B, saving $0.005 (1.6% lower).
High-volume input processing	Gemma 4 31B	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Ministral 3 14B 2512	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Tie	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemma 4 31B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemma 4 31B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemma 4 31B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemma 4 31B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite offers 1.05M context with $0.3 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Google catalog

Review all tracked Google models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Google models

Mistral catalog

Check other Mistral models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Mistral models

Gemma 4 31B

Gemma 4 31B Instruct is Google DeepMind's 30.7B dense multimodal model supporting text and image input with text output. Features a 256K token context window, configurable thinking/reasoning mode, native function...

Ministral 3 14B 2512

The largest model in the Ministral 3 family, Ministral 3 14B offers frontier capabilities and performance comparable to its larger Mistral Small 3.2 24B counterpart. A powerful and efficient language...