Llama 4 Maverick vs Mistral Small 3

Compare Llama 4 Maverick and Mistral Small 3: 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 4 Maverick Mistral Small 3
CategoryOpen SourceCompact
Parameters400B (17B active)24B
Context Window256K32K
Input Price$0.07/1M tokens$0.02/1M tokens
Output Price$0.12/1M tokens$0.04/1M tokens
Latency~450ms~150ms

Choose Llama 4 Maverick when:

  • ✓ Complex analysis
  • ✓ Professional reports
  • ✓ Deep reasoning
Key Strengths:

Superior reasoning, 256K context, Excellent multilingual

Choose Mistral Small 3 when:

  • ✓ Content classification
  • ✓ Intent detection
  • ✓ Preprocessing
Key Strengths:

Very fast, Low cost, Good classification

Verdict: Llama 4 Maverick vs Mistral Small 3

For cost efficiency, Mistral Small 3 wins at $0.02/1M input tokens. For speed, Mistral Small 3 is faster at ~150ms. Llama 4 Maverick excels at Complex analysis while Mistral Small 3 is better for Content classification. 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 4 Maverick costs $0.07/1M input tokens and $0.12/1M output tokens. Mistral Small 3 costs $0.02 input and $0.04 output. Mistral Small 3 is 3.5x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Llama 4 Maverick has a 256K context window with ~450ms latency. Mistral Small 3 offers 32K context at ~150ms. Llama 4 Maverick has the larger context window.

Best For

Llama 4 Maverick (Open Source) is optimized for: Complex analysis, Professional reports, Deep reasoning. Mistral Small 3 (Compact) works best for: Content classification, Intent detection, Preprocessing.

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 4 Maverick
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="llama-4-maverick",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Llama 4 Maverick or Mistral Small 3?

Llama 4 Maverick (Open Source, 400B (17B active)) offers Superior reasoning. Mistral Small 3 (Compact, 24B) offers Very fast. Choose Llama 4 Maverick for Complex analysis or Mistral Small 3 for Content classification.

How much does Llama 4 Maverick cost vs Mistral Small 3?

Llama 4 Maverick: $0.07/1M input, $0.12/1M output. Mistral Small 3: $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 Llama 4 Maverick and Mistral Small 3 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.