Ministral 3 3B 2512 vs Mistral Small 3
Mistral Small 3 leads Ministral 3 3B 2512 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 6.7 to 4.8, and Mistral Small 3 costs 1.3x less per output token ($0.08 vs $0.10 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 1 benchmarks have a result for both.
Ministral 3 3B 2512 or Mistral Small 3: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for a larger context window (131K against 33K tokens) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 1
- Ministral 3 3B 2512 only
- 6
- Mistral Small 3 only
- 35
- Like-for-like categories
- 1 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
Mistral Small 3
Mistral Small 3 leads, 6.7 against 4.8.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 has a AA Agentic Index result, 0.8.
Directional only
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 has a Design Arena: websites result, 1027.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Ministral 3 3B 2512
Ministral 3 3B 2512 takes 131K tokens against 33K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mistral Small 3
Ministral 3 3B 2512 $0.0001, Mistral Small 3 $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Ministral 3 3B 2512 not benchmarked, Mistral Small 3 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Intelligence, 1.9 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- AA Intelligence Index: Ministral 3 3B 2512 4.8 against Mistral Small 3 6.7, 1.9 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Ministral 3 3B 2512 $0.10 against Mistral Small 3 $0.08 per million output tokens, 1.3x apart.
- Context window
- Ministral 3 3B 2512 takes 131K 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 | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Bars | Mistral Small 3 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 1 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 4.8 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 25.2% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | Not measured | 1246 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | Not measured | 1248 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 4.8 | 6.7 | Mistral Small 3 |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 0.8 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 19.6% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | 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 |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | Not measured | 1233 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: expert | Not measured | 1202 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | Not measured | 1243 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | 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 |
| LMArena Text: math | Not measured | 1240 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | Not measured | 1243 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 10 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 65.2% | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: science | Not measured | 1235 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | Not measured | 1215 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | Not measured | 1219 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | Not measured | 1205 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1027 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 948 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 962 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1009 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 3B 2512 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 5 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index17 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | 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 |
| LMArena Text | Not measured | 1234 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | Not measured | 1214 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | Not measured | 1194 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: English | Not measured | 1256 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: non-English | Not measured | 1198 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | Not measured | 1204 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: German | Not measured | 1211 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | Not measured | 1111 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Korean | Not measured | 1188 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: French | Not measured | 1204 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | Not measured | 1216 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | Not measured | 1217 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | Not measured | 1246 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | Not measured | 1214 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | Not measured | 1184 | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 31 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 3B 2512 | 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 | Mistral Ministral 3 3B 2512 | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | January 30, 2025 |
| Context window | 131K | 33K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.10 | $0.05 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.10 | $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 Ministral 3 3B 2512 better than Mistral Small 3 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Ministral 3 3B 2512 for a larger context window (131K against 33K tokens) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Ministral 3 3B 2512 or Mistral Small 3?
Ministral 3 3B 2512 costs $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.10 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, Ministral 3 3B 2512 or Mistral Small 3?
Ministral 3 3B 2512, with 131K tokens against 33K.
How many benchmarks is the Ministral 3 3B 2512 vs Mistral Small 3 comparison based on?
1 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Ministral 3 3B 2512'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.