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Qwen 3 8B vs Mistral Small
A straight cost comparison of Qwen 3 8B (Alibaba (Qwen)) and Mistral Small (Mistral AI), per 1,000,000 tokens, verified November 2026.
Rate-by-rate comparison
| Metric | Qwen 3 8B | Mistral Small | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input / 1M | $0.05 | $0.10 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Cached input / 1M | $0.005 | $0.01 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Cache write / 1M |  |  | Tie |
| Output / 1M | $0.20 | $0.30 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Context window | 131,072 | 32,000 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Batch API | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Long-context tier | None | None |  |
For per-token metrics, the lower number wins. For context window and batch support, the higher or broader option wins. A dash means the provider does not publish that rate: a missing cache-write fee means writes are not billed per token, while a missing cached-input rate means cache hits bill at the full input rate.
Blended cost: 1M input + 250K output
| Model | Blended cost | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3 8B | $0.10 | Cheaper |
| Mistral Small | $0.175 | +$0.075 |
Ten workloads, two bills
The same two models, priced across ten workloads that differ only in their input:output ratio. Nothing else changes  no retries, no system prompt, no middleware.
| Workload | Qwen 3 8B | Mistral Small | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classification 100K reqs · 500 in / 10 out | $2.70 | $5.30 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Data extraction 10K reqs · 2K in / 200 out | $1.40 | $2.60 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Support chat 1K reqs · 4K in / 600 out | $0.32 | $0.58 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Code review 2K reqs · 8K in / 1.5K out | $1.40 | $2.50 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Summarisation 1K reqs · 20K in / 1K out | $1.20 | $2.30 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Agent loop 5K reqs · 12K in / 2K out | $5 | $9 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Translation 500 reqs · 15K in / 15K out | $1.88 | $3 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Long-document QA 200 reqs · 120K in / 800 out | $1.23 | $2.45 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Cached RAG 1K reqs · 50K in (45K cached) / 1K out | $0.677 | $1.25 | Qwen 3 8B |
| Nightly batch 10K reqs · 10K in / 2K out | $4.50 | $8 | Qwen 3 8B |
Qwen 3 8B wins 10 of 10, Mistral Small wins 0 of 10. The winner is set by the token mix, not by the headline rate.
Where the two bills cross over
Qwen 3 8B is cheaper on both sides of the mix: $0.05 vs $0.10 per million input tokens, and $0.20 vs $0.30 per million output. No input:output ratio reverses that, so on price alone the other model never becomes the better choice  it has to win on context, latency or output quality.
Cost at four scales
The same support-chat workload (4K input, 600 output per request) at four monthly volumes.
| Requests / month | Qwen 3 8B | Mistral Small | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | $0.032 | $0.058 | Qwen 3 8B cheaper by $0.026 |
| 1,000 | $0.32 | $0.58 | Qwen 3 8B cheaper by $0.26 |
| 10,000 | $3.20 | $5.80 | Qwen 3 8B cheaper by $2.60 |
| 100,000 | $32 | $58 | Qwen 3 8B cheaper by $26 |
What caching does to each bill
Caching only helps the part of the prompt that repeats. This is the support-chat workload (1,000 requests, 4,000 input tokens each) with an increasing share of that prompt served from a warm cache, written once on the first request.
| Cached share of the prompt | Qwen 3 8B | Mistral Small | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0.32 | $0.58 | Qwen 3 8B |
| 50% | $0.23 | $0.40 | Qwen 3 8B |
| 80% | $0.176 | $0.292 | Qwen 3 8B |
| 95% | $0.149 | $0.238 | Qwen 3 8B |
Both models publish a cached-read rate, so the discount is comparable: Qwen 3 8B reads cache at $0.005 per million, Mistral Small at $0.01.
Which one should you pick?
Qwen 3 8B wins on classification, data extraction, support chat, code review, summarisation, agent loop, translation, long-document qa, cached rag, nightly batch, while Mistral Small wins on none of the ten workloads above.
Beyond price, the two differ on input rate ($0.05 vs $0.10); output rate ($0.20 vs $0.30); cached-input rate ($0.005 vs $0.01); context window (131,072 vs 32,000).
Batch mode is available on Qwen 3 8B and Mistral Small, which halves the nightly job. Both publish cached-input discounts, so a stable system prompt is worth caching on either.
FAQ
Is Qwen 3 8B cheaper than Mistral Small?
On a blended 1M-input-plus-250K-output workload, Qwen 3 8B is cheaper by 43% ($0.10 vs $0.175). The gap changes for cache-heavy prompts and for batch jobs, as the workload table shows.
Which handles longer prompts, Qwen 3 8B or Mistral Small?
Mistral Small has the larger context window (131,072 vs 32,000 tokens). Neither model publishes a long-context surcharge.
Do both models support prompt caching?
Qwen 3 8B bills cached reads at $0.005 per 1M; Mistral Small at $0.01.
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