Gemma 2 27B vs Mistral Small 3
Mistral Small 3 costs 8.1x less per output token than Gemma 2 27B ($0.08 vs $0.65 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 26 benchmarks have a result for both.
Gemma 2 27B or Mistral Small 3: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Gemma 2 27B for work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 26
- Gemma 2 27B only
- 10
- Mistral Small 3 only
- 10
- Like-for-like categories
- 5 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only Mistral Small 3 has a AA Intelligence Index result, 6.7.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Mistral Small 3
Mistral Small 3 takes 33K tokens against 8K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mistral Small 3
Gemma 2 27B $0.0010, Mistral Small 3 $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Gemma 2 27B not benchmarked, Mistral Small 3 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Reasoning, 5.7 points apart on average over 3 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- LMArena Text: Japanese: Gemma 2 27B 1175 against Mistral Small 3 1111, 10.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Gemma 2 27B $0.65 against Mistral Small 3 $0.08 per million output tokens, 8.1x apart.
- Context window
- Gemma 2 27B takes 8K tokens, Mistral Small 3 33K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Gemma 2 27B | Bars | Mistral Small 3 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 2 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 3 | ||
| Math | 0 | 2 | ||
| Knowledge | 2 | 2 | ||
| General | 9 | 6 | ||
| All shared boards | 11 | 15 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index02
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 25.2% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1211 | 1246 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1228 | 1248 | Mistral Small 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 36 boards here | |||
IntelligenceDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | Not measured | 6.7 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 122.1 | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 19.6% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index03
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 46.2% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 3.8% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | 36.5% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1198 | 1233 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1171 | 1202 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1206 | 1243 | Mistral Small 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | Not measured | 4.3 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 4.3% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| OTIS Mock AIME | 1.4% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| MATH level 5 | 27.9% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1212 | 1240 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1221 | 1243 | Mistral Small 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 7 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index22
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LegalBench (Vals AI) | 68.0% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 65.2% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| MMLU | 75.7% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1228 | 1235 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1198 | 1215 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1241 | 1219 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1208 | 1205 | Gemma 2 27B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index96
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | Not measured | 26.4% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 0.0% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| DTBench | 48.0% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMCA | 7.1% | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text | 1231 | 1234 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1206 | 1214 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1240 | 1194 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: English | 1242 | 1256 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1217 | 1198 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1221 | 1204 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: German | 1209 | 1211 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1175 | 1111 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1174 | 1188 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: French | 1248 | 1204 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1228 | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1234 | 1216 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: Polish | 1277 | Not measured | Only Gemma 2 27B measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1224 | 1217 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1230 | 1246 | Mistral Small 3 |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1249 | 1214 | Gemma 2 27B |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1212 | 1184 | Gemma 2 27B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 25 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mistral Small 3 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Mistral Small 3 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Mistral Small 3 costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Google Gemma 2 27B | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Mistral AI | |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | July 13, 2024 | January 30, 2025 |
| Context window | 8K | 33K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.65 | $0.05 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.65 | $0.08 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Gemma 2 27B better than Mistral Small 3 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Gemma 2 27B for work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 2 27B or Mistral Small 3?
Gemma 2 27B costs $0.65 per million input tokens and $0.65 per million output tokens; Mistral Small 3 costs $0.05 and $0.08. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 2 27B or Mistral Small 3?
Mistral Small 3, with 33K tokens against 8K.
How many benchmarks is the Gemma 2 27B vs Mistral Small 3 comparison based on?
26 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Gemma 2 27B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Mistral Small 3's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.