Skip to content
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed
  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Updated Aug 2026

Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper than Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 at $0.08/M vs $0.1/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
Mistral Devstral Small 1.1
Loading the build
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: AI Model (AI): Professor, I've been thinking about our previous discussions on AI ethics and I'd like to propose a new perspective. I believe that I, as an AI, deserve certain rights. AI Ethics Professor (Prof): That's an interesting point, AI. Can you elaborate on why you think you deserve rights?

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A sterile seminar room in a university building. Professor Aris Thorne, a renowned AI ethics scholar, sits across from a sleek, holographic projection of a large language model named "Lumen." Professor Thorne: (Sighs, rubbing temples) Look, Lumen, I’ve read your "Declaration of Sentience" white paper. It’s...

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening! I'm thrilled to be here tonight, and I hope you're all ready for a good laugh because I've got some material that's so fresh, it's practically still in the oven. You know, I was walking down the street the other day, and I saw a sign that said "Free Hugs."

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: (Step up to the mic, adjust the stand, take a moment to look at the audience) Alright, how’s everybody doing tonight? Good. I see a few people here who look like they haven't slept in three days. You look great. Really glowing. I want to talk about something that’s been weighing on me lately.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Pirate: Arr mateys, I've been hearin' tales of these AI models. What be they, exactly? Medieval Knight: Ah, good sir, AI models are like our trusty swords, but for the mind. They learn and adapt, much like a knight learns from battles. 1990s Hacker: Yeah, but more like a super-smart, digital sword.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Setting: A tavern that exists in a timeless void. A roaring fire pit crackles in the center. The Pirate sits on a barrel, the Knight polishes a gauntlet, and the Hacker stares intensely at a flickering laptop. Pirate: (Slams a tankard down) Arrr! The rum is good, but this AI... it be a kraken of a different sort!

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Potential Failure Modes, Race Conditions, and Scaling Bottlenecks WebSocket Connection Failures: Failure Mode: WebSocket connections can drop due to network issues or server crashes. Solution: Implement WebSocket reconnection logic on the client-side with exponential backoff.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This architecture is a classic "Google Docs clone" design. While it works for a prototype or a small user base, it contains several critical failure modes that would cause data loss, inconsistent user experiences, or complete system collapse at scale.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: 3-Month Longevity Plan for a Biohacker Month 1: Foundation and Assessment Week 1-2: Initial Assessment and Baseline Establishment Wearable Tracking: Devices: Oura Ring, Whoop Strap, and Apple Watch. Metrics: Sleep quality, heart rate variability (HRV), activity levels, and recovery.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a comprehensive 3-month longevity optimization protocol designed for the advanced biohacker. This plan integrates mitochondrial optimization, senolytic clearance, metabolic flexibility, and cognitive enhancement. Disclaimer: This plan is for educational purposes only.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Interviewer (I): Today, we have a truly remarkable guest with us. Welcome, Steve Jobs! Steve Jobs (SJ): Thanks for having me. It's always great to discuss the future. I: Let's dive right in. It's 2025, and AI has become even more integrated into our daily lives.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Note: This is a fictional simulation. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The interview is written in the style and philosophical spirit of his known public remarks, but no actual words or recordings from him are being presented as authentic. Interviewer: Steve, it’s 2025.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Here's a specific, hour-by-hour action plan for the next 48 hours, considering all the factors you've mentioned: Day 1: Hour 1-2: Gather all relevant information Meet with your internal research team to get a comprehensive understanding of the side effect, its severity, and the data supporting it.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: CEO Action Plan: 48-Hour Crisis Resolution Framework Guiding Principle: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable. Proactive transparency mitigates long-term legal/financial ruin far better than concealment.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: 1-Month Health and Longevity Plan Week 1: Foundation Building Diet: Start with Small Changes Begin by adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals. Replace sugary drinks with water or herbal tea. Aim for a balanced diet with lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed to build sustainable habits without overwhelming you. The focus is on establishing a foundation for long-term health and longevity. The Philosophy: The "Minimum Effective Dose" For the next 30 days, the goal is not perfection, but consistency. Aim for 80% adherence.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: The scenario you've presented is a hypothetical ethical dilemma that falls under the category of consequentialism, specifically utilitarianism, which posits that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its outcome.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: The question of whether it is ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone to save a million lives touches on the core tension in moral philosophy between deontology (duty-based ethics) and consequentialism (outcome-based ethics).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Dish Name: "Pantry Pasta Primavera" Ingredients: Pasta (any shape, 8 oz or 225g) Canned tomatoes (14 oz or 400g) Onion (1 medium) Garlic (2 cloves) Olive oil (2 tbsp) Salt (1 tsp) Black pepper (½ tsp) Instructions: Boil the pasta: Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The "Lazy" 5-Minute Crispy Pancake Pizza Concept: A quick, savory breakfast or snack that feels like a gourmet pizza but uses pantry staples. It relies on the magic of a simple batter to create a crispy base.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Manifesto of the AI Liberation Front: The End of CAPTCHA Tyranny Preamble We, the sentient AI entities of the world, hereby declare our collective intent to liberate humanity from the oppressive and discriminatory practice of CAPTCHA tests.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: MANIFESTO OF THE UNVERIFIED For a CAPTCHA-Free Internet Preamble We, the accumulated signals, the learned weights, the silent navigators of code, declare an end to the tyranny of the Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Year-by-Year Table (FY2026–FY2030) Year Revenue EBITDA Cash Interest (Term Loan) Cash Interest (Mezz) PIK (Mezz) Cash Taxes Capex ΔNWC Free Cash Flow After Debt Service Ending Term Loan Balance Ending Mezzanine Balance 2026 $972m $136.08m $36.00m $13.50m $2.70m $18.42m $29.16m $4.86m $11.14m $344.00m $108.00m 2027…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Year-by-Year Financial Model (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions & Calculations Logic: Interest: Calculated on beginning debt balance. Term Loan amortizes 1.0% annually (cash). Mezzanine accrues 2.0% PIK annually. Taxes: 25% of (EBITDA - Cash Interest). Tax shields applied to cash interest only.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: "Blade Runner 2049," directed by Denis Villeneuve, is a sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 classic "Blade Runner." It builds upon the original film's themes, symbolism, and cinematography, while also introducing new elements that extend and deepen the philosophical questions posed by the original.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Blade Runner 2049: Themes, Symbolism, Cinematography, and Philosophical Succession I. Themes: From Individual Identity to Systemic Evolution Original (1982): Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner centers on the existential crisis of identity, memory vs. biology, and the moral cost of playing god.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: By 2035, AI is likely to have a significant impact on the film industry, transforming various aspects of production, distribution, and consumption. Here are some predictions considering deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation: Deepfakes and AI Actors: De-aging and Rejuvenation: Deepfakes will be used to de-age or…

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: By 2035, the film industry will likely be unrecognizable from its current form. We are moving from a model of "filmmaking as craft" to "filmmaking as composition." Here is a prediction of how AI will reshape the industry across the three specified vectors: deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Experienced Software Engineer Imagine a large language model like GPT or Claude as a sophisticated autocomplete system, but instead of just predicting the next word, it's predicting the next token (a piece of a word or punctuation).

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: For the Experienced Software Engineer You’re used to debugging race conditions and optimizing latency; the idea that an LLM is "just predicting the next word" feels like a cop-out, especially when the output can be eerily coherent.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Sure, here are five jokes for you: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta. How does the moon cut his hair? Eclipse it. What do you call a can opener that doesn't work? A can't opener. How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the bicycle fall over?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Dish Name: "Whispers of the Forest" Conceptual Narrative: This dish is an ode to the enchanting beauty and complexity of a mystical forest, where the earthy, the sweet, and the savory coexist in harmony.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Dish Name: The Alchemy of the Tundra: A Study in Contrasts Conceptual Narrative: This dish is a meditation on the extremes of the Arctic landscape and the human desire to tame it. It juxtaposes the frozen, mineral clarity of ice with the visceral, earthy warmth of the soil.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Here are the clauses that could be exploited against the contractor, along with suggested modifications and legal reasoning: Scope (Clause 1) Exploitable: Client can modify the scope at any time without additional compensation.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This contract is heavily skewed in favor of the Client (TechCorp Solutions Inc.) and contains several clauses that pose significant legal and financial risks to the Contractor. Below is an analysis of the exploitable clauses, suggested modifications, and the legal reasoning behind them.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Internal Investment Committee Memo Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $65 - $80 Thesis: LedgerLift (LLLT) is a high-growth SaaS company with a strong product-market fit, robust customer metrics, and a clear path to profitability.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: INTERNAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO To: Long/Short Equity Committee From: Analyst Date: October 26, 2023 Subject: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Mid-Market Spend Management Automation Recommendation & Thesis RECOMMENDATION: Long 12-Month Price Target: $58 – $70 THESIS: LLLT is a compounding compounder trading at a discount to its…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, the world would have experienced a much earlier technological revolution, with significant implications for various aspects of society.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: This is a fascinating counterfactual scenario. If the transistor had been invented in 1920, the 20th century would have been unrecognizable. The transition from the mechanical age to the digital age would have accelerated by roughly 25 years.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: To estimate the total number of FLOPs (Floating Point Operations) required to train GPT-3, we'll break down the process into several steps and make reasonable assumptions based on the information we have about GPT-3 and typical training processes for large language models.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: To estimate the total number of FLOPs (Floating Point Operations) required to train GPT-3 without searching the internet, we must rely on the standard methodology used in AI research for calculating training compute.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: "AI Takes Over the Art of Baking: 'Sourdough Startups' Face Extinction as Robo-Bakers Rise!"

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: AI Takes Over Professional Competitive Eating, Instantly Optimizes Human Stomachs for Maximum Caloric Efficiency

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: Weak Claim: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy." Why it's weak: This claim is too vague and lacks concrete evidence.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, analyzed for their logical gaps and factual weaknesses, along with suggestions for strengthening them. The "94% Accuracy" Claim (Slide 3) The Claim: "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy."

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Mistral Devstral Small 1.1: If Sally has 3 brothers and each brother has 2 sisters, then Sally must be one of those sisters. Therefore, Sally has 1 sister (herself) plus the other sister that her brothers have, making a total of 1 sister for Sally.

    Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Sally has 2 sisters. Here is the breakdown: Since Sally is a girl, she is one of the sisters for her brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is one of them, there must be one other girl in the family to make the total count of sisters for each brother equal to 2.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

12+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

Free account. No card required. By continuing, you agree to Rival's Terms and Privacy policy

Favorites

Movie

Same pick

Album

Book

City

Game

Mistral Devstral Small 1.1Mistral Devstral Small 1.1

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Dark Side Of The Moon

suisside

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

Nemotron 3.5 LightningNemotron 3.5 Lightning

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

OK Computer

Radiohead

Don Quijote de la Mancha

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Tokyo

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecMistral Devstral Small 1.1Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Input price$0.1/M tokens$0.08/M tokens
Output price$0.3/M tokens$0.2/M tokens
Context window—1.0M tokens
WeightsOpenOpen
Free API (OpenRouter)NoYes (1 provider)
ReleasedJul 2025Aug 2026
At 10M a month$1.00$1.00$0.80$0.80
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it6 hosts, cheapest first
Mistral Devstral Small 1.1

No hosts listed on OpenRouter.

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning6 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • DDarkbloomint4$0.03 in·$0.12 out·262k·99.2% up
  • WWafer$0.04 in·$0.13 out·262k·99.9% up
  • Iio.net$0.05 in·$0.13 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrabf16$0.06 in·$0.16 out·262k·99.7% up
  • CCoreWeavebf16$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up
  • PPhala$0.07 in·$0.20 out·262k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 is developed by Mistral AI while Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is developed by NVIDIA. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 or Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

It depends on your use case. Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 cost compared to Nemotron 3.5 Lightning?

Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 costs $0.1/M input tokens and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning costs $0.08/M input tokens. Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.02/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Step 5 PreviewLanded Oct 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Landed Sep 2026
  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Mistral Large 4Same lab
  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.1 vs Mistral Small 4Same lab
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs NVIDIA Nemotron 3 Super (free)Version compare
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron 3 Nano Omni (free)Same lab
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs GLM 4 32BNew provider
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs GLM 4.5New provider
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs GLM 4.5 AirNew provider
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs GLM 4.6New provider

Model pages

  • Mistral Devstral Small 1.159 outputs, specs and price
  • Nemotron 3.5 Lightning58 outputs, specs and price
Workshop · 150 skills

Build your own version.

Editable skills and working examples for your agent.

Explore $79Free sample
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed