Gemini 3.5 Flash vs Mistral Small 4
Google's mid-tier budget option against Mistral's ultra-cheap model. Mistral Small 4 is 93% cheaper on input and 97% cheaper on output — but Gemini has 8× more context.
Pricing data verified: 2026-06-20
| Specification | Gemini 3.5 Flash (Google) | Mistral Small 4 (Mistral) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price (per 1M tokens) | $1.50 | $0.10 |
| Output Price (per 1M tokens) | $9.00 | $0.30 |
| Context Window | 1M | 128K |
| Tier | Mid | Budget |
| Provider | Mistral |
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Other Models to Consider
Which Model for Which Use Case?
Cost-Sensitive High Volume
At $0.10/$0.30, Mistral Small 4 is 93-97% cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash. At 100K requests/day, you'd save $135/mo vs Gemini.
Long Context Tasks
Gemini 3.5 Flash's 1M context window is 8× larger than Mistral's 128K. For long documents, extensive codebases, or multi-turn conversations, Gemini handles far more context.
Classification & Simple Tasks
For classification, sentiment analysis, and simple extraction tasks, Mistral Small 4 delivers solid quality at a fraction of the cost. Save 90%+ on high-volume classification.
Google Cloud Integration
If you're already on Google Cloud Platform, Gemini 3.5 Flash integrates natively with Vertex AI, BigQuery ML, and other GCP services. Switching to Mistral means separate infrastructure.
Comparing Budget Models?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mistral Small 4 cheaper than Gemini 3.5 Flash?
Yes, significantly. Mistral Small 4 costs $0.10/M input and $0.30/M output — 93% cheaper on input and 97% cheaper on output than Gemini 3.5 Flash's $1.50/M input and $9.00/M output.
Which has a larger context window?
Gemini 3.5 Flash has a 1M token context window — nearly 8× larger than Mistral Small 4's 128K. For long documents or extensive codebases, Gemini handles far more context.
When would I choose Gemini 3.5 Flash over Mistral Small 4?
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash if you need a larger context window (1M vs 128K), Google Cloud integration, or prefer Google's ecosystem. For many tasks, the extra context justifies the higher cost.
Is Mistral Small 4 really the cheapest option?
At $0.10/$0.30 per 1M tokens, Mistral Small 4 is one of the cheapest models available. Only Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite ($0.10/$0.40) and GPT-oss 20B ($0.08/$0.35) are in the same ballpark.