API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewMistral Medium 3.5 vs Ministral 3 3B 2512

Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for lower cost; pick Mistral Medium 3.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for lower cost; pick Mistral Medium 3.5 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 3B 2512 is estimated at $0.15 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.1 (97.1% lower).

Cost-first pickMinistral 3 3B 2512
Context-first pickMistral Medium 3.5
Sample savings$5.197.1%
10x traffic gap$51

Mistral Medium 3.5 has more context, but Ministral 3 3B 2512 saves $5.1 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $51. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Ministral 3 3B 2512 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickMistral Medium 3.5Ministral 3 3B 2512
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$11.25$0.55
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$9$0.2
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$39$0.6
Cheaper input Ministral 3 3B 2512 $1.5 vs $0.1 / 1M

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $1.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).

Cheaper output Ministral 3 3B 2512 $7.5 vs $0.1 / 1M

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $7.4 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.7% lower; 75x difference).

Larger context Mistral Medium 3.5 262.14K vs 131.07K

Mistral Medium 3.5 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).

Sample workload Ministral 3 3B 2512 $5.25 vs $0.15

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $5.1 cheaper on the standard workload (97.1% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Mistral Medium 3.5 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Ministral 3 3B 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

Ministral 3 3B 2512 has the lower input price; Ministral 3 3B 2512 has the lower output price; Mistral Medium 3.5 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Ministral 3 3B 2512 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5 and $0.15 for Ministral 3 3B 2512.

Best Fit

Choose Mistral Medium 3.5 when you care most about larger context window.

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

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 3B 2512 is estimated at $0.15 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.1 (97.1% lower).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $5.1 cheaper on the standard workload (97.1% lower).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $1.4 cheaper per 1M input tokens (93.3% lower; 15x difference).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $7.4 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.7% lower; 75x difference).
  • Mistral Medium 3.5 has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewMistral Medium 3.5
(Mistral)		Ministral 3 3B 2512
(Mistral)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$1.5$0.1
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$7.5$0.1
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$5.25$0.15
Context Window262.14K131.07K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionMinistral 3 3B 2512On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Ministral 3 3B 2512 is estimated at $0.15 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.1 (97.1% lower).
High-volume input processingMinistral 3 3B 2512Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsMinistral 3 3B 2512Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workMistral Medium 3.5A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Mistral Nemo can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.04.
  • Mistral Small 3 can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
  • Mistral Small 3.2 24B can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.17.
  • Mistral 7B Instruct v0.1 can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.21.
Larger context near this budget

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Mistral catalog

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