Grok 4-20 vs Mistral Small 4
Complete pricing and performance comparison between xAI's Grok 4-20 and Mistral's Mistral Small 4.
Quick Verdict
Cheaper
Mistral Small 4
13.3x cheaper input, 10.0x cheaper output
Larger Context
Mistral Small 4
256K vs 131K
Pricing Comparison
| Spec | Grok 4-20 | Mistral Small 4 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | Mistral | |
| Input / 1M tokens | $2 | $0.15 | Mistral Small 4 is 93% more expensive |
| Output / 1M tokens | $6 | $0.6 | Mistral Small 4 is 90% more expensive |
| Context Window | 131K | 256K | 2x difference |
| Max Output | 16K | 33K |
Performance Benchmarks
| Metric | Grok 4-20 | Mistral Small 4 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Index | 49 | -- | N/A |
| Output Speed | 101 tok/s | -- | N/A |
| Value (Quality/$) | 24.3 | -- | Higher = better value |
Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis. Quality Index is a composite score across reasoning, coding, and knowledge tasks.
Cost at Scale
Estimated cost at different usage levels (3:1 input-to-output token ratio, typical for chat).
| Usage | Grok 4-20 | Mistral Small 4 | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
Single request 1K in / 300 out | $0.0038 | $0.0003 | Mistral Small 4 saves $0.0035 |
10 requests 10K in / 3K out | $0.038 | $0.0033 | Mistral Small 4 saves $0.035 |
100 requests 100K in / 30K out | $0.380 | $0.033 | Mistral Small 4 saves $0.347 |
1,000 requests 1M in / 300K out | $3.80 | $0.330 | Mistral Small 4 saves $3.47 |
10,000 requests 10M in / 3M out | $38.00 | $3.30 | Mistral Small 4 saves $34.70 |
1M requests/mo 1B in / 300M out | $3800.00 | $330.00 | Mistral Small 4 saves $3470.00 |
Pros & Cons
Grok 4-20 Strengths
Part of the xAI ecosystem
Mistral Small 4 Strengths
- +Cheaper input tokens
- +Cheaper output tokens
- +Larger context window (256K vs 131K)
- +Higher max output tokens
When to Use Each Model
Choose Grok 4-20 for
- →Projects already integrated with xAI's ecosystem
Choose Mistral Small 4 for
- →Budget-conscious projects where cost is the primary factor
- →Long documents, large codebases, or multi-turn conversations
- →Generating long-form content or detailed code
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Grok 4-20 or Mistral Small 4?
For input tokens, Mistral Small 4 is 13.3x cheaper at $0.15/1M tokens. For output tokens, Mistral Small 4 is 10.0x cheaper at $0.6/1M tokens. At typical usage (1M input + 300K output), Grok 4-20 costs $3.80 vs Mistral Small 4 at $0.330.
What's the context window difference?
Grok 4-20 supports 131K context (131,072 tokens), while Mistral Small 4 supports 256K (256,000 tokens). Mistral Small 4 can handle 2x more context in a single request.
Which model has better benchmarks?
When should I choose Grok 4-20 over Mistral Small 4?
Choose Grok 4-20 when you need: a xAI ecosystem model. Choose Mistral Small 4 when you need: Cheaper input tokens, Cheaper output tokens, Larger context window (256K vs 131K), Higher max output tokens.
How much would 10,000 API requests cost?
At 1K input + 300 output tokens per request (typical chat): Grok 4-20 = $38.00, Mistral Small 4 = $3.30. At 10K input + 1K output per request (longer conversations): Grok 4-20 = $260.00, Mistral Small 4 = $21.00.
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