Mistral vs Llama
The short answer. The cheapest Mistral model we track, Classifier API model (8B), costs $0.040 per million output tokens and $0.040 per million input tokens. The cheapest Llama model, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, costs $0.080 per million output tokens and $0.050 per million input tokens, as sold by OpenRouter. At the entry level, Mistral is 2.0 times cheaper than Llama on output tokens. Prices read on 18 September 2026.
This page compares what Mistral AI and Meta charge through their APIs. Every price below carries the day we read it and links to the page it came from. We do not rank quality: we tell you what each model costs, and since when.
At the top of each range
- Among Mistral models that carry a relayed score, the highest on the Artificial Analysis intelligence index is Mistral Medium 3.5, at 14.9, sold by OpenRouter at $7.50 per million output tokens.
- Among Llama models that carry a relayed score, the highest on the Artificial Analysis intelligence index is Llama 4 Maverick, at 9.3, sold by OpenRouter at $0.6525 per million output tokens.
The index is produced by Artificial Analysis and relayed through OpenRouter's catalogue. It is not our measurement; we record it as a level 4 source and show it next to the price we read. A model without a score here has not been scored yet, which is not the same as scoring low.
Every model, side by side
Mistral models
12 standard offers, from the prices Mistral AI publishes itself.
| Model | Input | Output | Context | Read on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classifier API model (8B) | $0.040 | $0.040 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Classifier API model (3B) | $0.100 | $0.100 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Ministral 3 (3B) | $0.100 | $0.100 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Ministral 3 (8B) | $0.150 | $0.150 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Ministral 3 (14B) | $0.200 | $0.200 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Voxtral Small | by content type | $0.400 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Mistral Small 4 | $0.150 | $0.600 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Codestral | $0.300 | $0.900 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Mistral Large 3 | $0.500 | $1.50 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| GLM 5.2 (hosted by Mistral) | $1.40 | $4.40 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| GLM 5.3 (hosted by Mistral) | $1.40 | $4.40 | 17 September 2026 | Mistral AI | |
| Mistral Medium 3.5 | $1.50 | $7.50 | 18 September 2026 | Mistral AI |
Llama models
8 standard offers, from OpenRouter's prices: we track no price list published by Meta itself for these models.
| Model | Input | Output | Context | Read on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llama 3.1 8B Instruct | $0.050 | $0.080 | 131 072 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama Guard 4 12B | $0.180 | $0.180 | 163 840 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 3.2 1B Instruct | $0.027 | $0.201 | 60 000 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 4 Scout | $0.100 | $0.300 | 1 310 720 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 3.3 70B Instruct | $0.100 | $0.320 | 131 072 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 3.2 3B Instruct | $0.050 | $0.330 | 131 072 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 3.1 70B Instruct | $0.400 | $0.400 | 131 072 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
| Llama 4 Maverick | $0.1875 | $0.6525 | 1 048 576 | 18 September 2026 | OpenRouter |
How these prices have moved
We hold dated captures of these models' prices back to 26 March 2024. We did not observe these values ourselves: they were recovered from public captures of OpenRouter's catalogue, and each links to its capture so you can check it without trusting us. Largest moves on output price:
| Model | Before | After | Change | Captured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mistral: Mistral Nemo | $0.001 | $0.050 | +4900% | 14 July 2025 |
| Meta: Llama 3.2 1B Instruct | $0.010 | $0.200 | +1900% | 14 November 2025 |
| Meta: Llama 3.2 3B Instruct | $0.020 | $0.340 | +1600% | 3 March 2026 |
| Mistral: Devstral 2 2512 | $0.220 | $2.00 | +809% | 19 February 2026 |
| Mistral: Mixtral 8x22B Instruct | $0.900 | $6.00 | +567% | 20 October 2025 |
| Mistral: Mistral Small 3.1 24B | $0.110 | $0.560 | +409% | 19 February 2026 |
Questions
Which is cheaper, Mistral or Llama?
The cheapest Mistral model we track, Classifier API model (8B), costs $0.040 per million output tokens and $0.040 per million input tokens. The cheapest Llama model, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, costs $0.080 per million output tokens and $0.050 per million input tokens, as sold by OpenRouter. At the entry level, Mistral is 2.0 times cheaper than Llama on output tokens. Prices read on 18 September 2026.
What is the cheapest Mistral model?
Classifier API model (8B), at $0.040 per million output tokens, read on 18 September 2026.
What is the cheapest Llama model?
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, at $0.080 per million output tokens, read on 18 September 2026.
Where do these prices come from?
From the price lists Mistral AI and OpenRouter publish, read by our collectors. No figure on this page was produced by a language model.