Llama 3.1 405B vs Mistral Large
Pricing, context window, and benchmark comparison · Last updated April 2026
Mistral Large is cheaper than Llama 3.1 405B at $2.00/1M/1M vs $2.70/1M/1M input tokens — a 1.4x cost difference. Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on quality benchmarks (ELO 1267). Choose Mistral Large for cost-sensitive workloads; choose Llama 3.1 405B for maximum quality.
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Mistral Large is the cheaper option at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, compared to $2.70/1M for Llama 3.1 405B. That is a 1.4x cost difference on input tokens. Output pricing follows a similar pattern: Llama 3.1 405B charges $2.70/1M/1M vs $6.00/1M/1M for Mistral Large.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Based on LMSYS Chatbot Arena rankings, Llama 3.1 405B achieves a higher ELO score (1267 vs 1251), suggesting stronger performance on open-ended tasks. Llama 3.1 405B excels at open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy. Mistral Large is known for strong european data residency option.
Which should you choose: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
- → Open source — can be self-hosted for data privacy
- → Competitive with GPT-4o on many benchmarks
- → Strong multilingual capabilities
- → Strong European data residency option
- → Excellent multilingual performance especially French/German
- → Good coding capabilities
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Mistral Large is cheaper at $2.00/1M per 1M input tokens, making it 1.4x more affordable.
Which has better quality: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Llama 3.1 405B scores higher on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena with an ELO of 1267, suggesting better overall quality for most tasks.
Which has a larger context window: Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Both Llama 3.1 405B and Mistral Large have the same context window.
Should I choose Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large?
Choose Mistral Large if cost is the priority. Choose Llama 3.1 405B if benchmark quality is most important. Consider your specific use case: Llama 3.1 405B is best for coding and research, while Mistral Large excels at translation and coding.
Is Llama 3.1 405B or Mistral Large open source?
Llama 3.1 405B is open source. Mistral Large is proprietary.