Llama 3.1 405B vs Mistral Large 2

Compare Llama 3.1 405B and Mistral Large 2: 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 Llama 3.1 405B Mistral Large 2
CategoryOpen SourceOpen Source
Parameters405B123B
Context Window128K128K
Input Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.06/1M tokens
Output Price$0.14/1M tokens$0.10/1M tokens
Latency~600ms~400ms

Choose Llama 3.1 405B when:

  • ✓ Premium tasks
  • ✓ Research
  • ✓ Fine-tuning base
Key Strengths:

Largest open model, Highest open-source quality

Choose Mistral Large 2 when:

  • ✓ API integrations
  • ✓ Structured data
  • ✓ Workflow automation
Key Strengths:

Strong function calling, Good JSON output, Multilingual

Verdict: Llama 3.1 405B vs Mistral Large 2

For cost efficiency, Mistral Large 2 wins at $0.06/1M input tokens. For speed, Mistral Large 2 is faster at ~400ms. Llama 3.1 405B excels at Premium tasks while Mistral Large 2 is better for API integrations. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Llama 3.1 405B costs $0.08/1M input tokens and $0.14/1M output tokens. Mistral Large 2 costs $0.06 input and $0.10 output. Mistral Large 2 is 1.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama 3.1 405B has a 128K context window with ~600ms latency. Mistral Large 2 offers 128K context at ~400ms. Both have identical context windows.

Best For

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source) is optimized for: Premium tasks, Research, Fine-tuning base. Mistral Large 2 (Open Source) works best for: API integrations, Structured data, Workflow automation.

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 Llama 3.1 405B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-3-1-405b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Mistral Large 2
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="mistral-large-2",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large 2?

Llama 3.1 405B (Open Source, 405B) offers Largest open model. Mistral Large 2 (Open Source, 123B) offers Strong function calling. Choose Llama 3.1 405B for Premium tasks or Mistral Large 2 for API integrations.

How much does Llama 3.1 405B cost vs Mistral Large 2?

Llama 3.1 405B: $0.08/1M input, $0.14/1M output. Mistral Large 2: $0.06/1M input, $0.10/1M 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 Llama 3.1 405B and Mistral Large 2 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.