API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.2 Pro vs Ministral 3 3B 2512

Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2 Pro only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2 Pro 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 $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $104.85 (99.9% lower).

Cost-first pickMinistral 3 3B 2512
Context-first pickGPT-5.2 Pro
Sample savings$104.8599.9%
10x traffic gap$1048.5

GPT-5.2 Pro has more context, but Ministral 3 3B 2512 saves $104.85 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1048.5. 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 pickGPT-5.2 ProMinistral 3 3B 2512
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$189$0.55
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$189$0.2
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputMinistral 3 3B 2512$861$0.6
Cheaper input Ministral 3 3B 2512 $21 vs $0.1 / 1M

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $20.9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (99.5% lower; 210x difference).

Cheaper output Ministral 3 3B 2512 $168 vs $0.1 / 1M

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $167.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.9% lower; 1680x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.2 Pro 400K vs 131.07K

GPT-5.2 Pro has 268.93K more context (3.05x larger).

Sample workload Ministral 3 3B 2512 $105 vs $0.15

Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $104.85 cheaper on the standard workload (99.9% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.2 Pro 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; GPT-5.2 Pro 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 $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro and $0.15 for Ministral 3 3B 2512.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.2 Pro 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 $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $104.85 (99.9% lower).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $104.85 cheaper on the standard workload (99.9% lower).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $20.9 cheaper per 1M input tokens (99.5% lower; 210x difference).
  • Ministral 3 3B 2512 is $167.9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (99.9% lower; 1680x difference).
  • GPT-5.2 Pro has 268.93K more context (3.05x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.2 Pro
(OpenAI)		Ministral 3 3B 2512
(Mistral)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$21$0.1
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$168$0.1
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$105$0.15
Context Window400K131.07K
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 $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $104.85 (99.9% 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 workGPT-5.2 ProA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
Popular competitors
  • No popular competitor is currently available.

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