Mistral Small 3 vs Hy3 preview
Hy3 preview leads Mistral Small 3 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 25.3 to 6.7, and Mistral Small 3 costs 7.5x less per output token ($0.08 vs $0.60 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 29 benchmarks have a result for both.
Mistral Small 3 or Hy3 preview: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Mistral Small 3 for output tokens 7.5x cheaper ($0.08 vs $0.60 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 29
- Mistral Small 3 only
- 7
- Hy3 preview only
- 7
- Like-for-like categories
- 7 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
Hy3 preview
Hy3 preview leads, 25.3 against 6.7.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Hy3 preview has a AA Agentic Index result, 24.1.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Hy3 preview
Hy3 preview takes 262K tokens against 33K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mistral Small 3
Mistral Small 3 $0.0001, Hy3 preview $0.0005 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Mistral Small 3 not benchmarked, Hy3 preview not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Agentic work, 73.1 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- τ²-Bench Telecom: Mistral Small 3 19.6% against Hy3 preview 92.7%, 73.1 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Mistral Small 3 $0.08 against Hy3 preview $0.60 per million output tokens, 7.5x apart.
- Context window
- Mistral Small 3 takes 33K tokens, Hy3 preview 262K.
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 | Mistral Small 3 | Bars | Hy3 preview | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 2 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Agentic work | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 5 | ||
| Math | 0 | 2 | ||
| Knowledge | 0 | 4 | ||
| General | 0 | 14 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 29 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index02
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena WebDev | Not measured | 1357 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| AA Coding Index | Not measured | 58.8 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 25.2% | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 34.1% | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1246 | 1421 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1248 | 1423 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena WebDev: React | Not measured | 1349 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| LMArena WebDev: HTML | Not measured | 1356 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 31 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 6.7 | 25.3 | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | Not measured | 24.1 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 19.6% | 92.7% | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 46.2% | 86.7% | Hy3 preview |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 3.8% | 27.8% | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1233 | 1413 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1202 | 1422 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1243 | 1416 | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 4.3 | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.3% | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1240 | 1424 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1243 | 1442 | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 65.2% | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1235 | 1416 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1215 | 1405 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1219 | 1430 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1205 | 1397 | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 13 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index014
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 26.4% | 63.1% | Hy3 preview |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 0.0% | 64.7% | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text | 1234 | 1401 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1214 | 1383 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1194 | 1339 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: English | 1256 | 1409 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1198 | 1390 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1204 | 1435 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: German | 1211 | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1111 | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1188 | Not measured | Only Mistral Small 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: French | 1204 | 1425 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | Not measured | 1399 | Only Hy3 preview measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1216 | 1399 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1217 | 1411 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1246 | 1402 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1214 | 1370 | Hy3 preview |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1184 | 1352 | Hy3 preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 28 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mistral Small 3 | Hy3 preview | 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 Small 3 | Tencent Hy3 preview |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Mistral AI | Tencent |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | January 30, 2025 | April 22, 2026 |
| Context window | 33K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.05 | $0.18 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.08 | $0.60 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 1 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Mistral Small 3 better than Hy3 preview for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Mistral Small 3 for output tokens 7.5x cheaper ($0.08 vs $0.60 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Mistral Small 3 or Hy3 preview?
Mistral Small 3 costs $0.05 per million input tokens and $0.08 per million output tokens; Hy3 preview costs $0.18 and $0.60. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Mistral Small 3 or Hy3 preview?
Hy3 preview, with 262K tokens against 33K.
How many benchmarks is the Mistral Small 3 vs Hy3 preview comparison based on?
29 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Mistral Small 3's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Hy3 preview's on 1. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.