DeepSeek R1 0528 vs Mistral Small 3.1

Compare DeepSeek R1 0528 and Mistral Small 3.1: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature DeepSeek R1 0528 Mistral Small 3.1
CategoryReasoningCompact
Parameters671B24B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.02/1M tokens
Output Price$0.15/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Latency~800ms~120ms

Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 when:

  • ✓ Calculation verification
  • ✓ Classical text analysis
  • ✓ Quality-critical
Key Strengths:

Improved accuracy, Reduced hallucination, Strong math

Choose Mistral Small 3.1 when:

  • ✓ Lightweight tasks
  • ✓ Classification
  • ✓ Simple generation
Key Strengths:

128K context, Low cost, Fast

Verdict: DeepSeek R1 0528 vs Mistral Small 3.1

For cost efficiency, Mistral Small 3.1 wins at $0.02/1M input tokens. For speed, Mistral Small 3.1 is faster at ~120ms. DeepSeek R1 0528 excels at Calculation verification while Mistral Small 3.1 is better for Lightweight tasks. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0.08/1M input tokens and $0.15/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3.1 costs $0.02 input and $0.04 output. Mistral Small 3.1 is 4.0x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

DeepSeek R1 0528 has a 128K context window with ~800ms latency. Mistral Small 3.1 offers 128K context at ~120ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

DeepSeek R1 0528 (Reasoning) is optimized for: Calculation verification, Classical text analysis, Quality-critical. Mistral Small 3.1 (Compact) works best for: Lightweight tasks, Classification, Simple generation.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use DeepSeek R1 0528
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepseek-r1-0528",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Mistral Small 3.1
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="mistral-small-3-1",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, DeepSeek R1 0528 or Mistral Small 3.1?

DeepSeek R1 0528 (Reasoning, 671B) offers Improved accuracy. Mistral Small 3.1 (Compact, 24B) offers 128K context. Choose DeepSeek R1 0528 for Calculation verification or Mistral Small 3.1 for Lightweight tasks.

How much does DeepSeek R1 0528 cost vs Mistral Small 3.1?

DeepSeek R1 0528: $0.08/1M input, $0.15/1M output. Mistral Small 3.1: $0.02/1M input, $0.04/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between DeepSeek R1 0528 and Mistral Small 3.1 by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.