What is the difference between Mistral Small 4 and OpenAI o4-mini?

Mistral Small 4 is developed by Mistral AI while OpenAI o4-mini is developed by OpenAI. You can compare their actual outputs across 34 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Mistral Small 4 or OpenAI o4-mini?

It depends on your use case. Mistral Small 4 and OpenAI o4-mini each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 34 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Mistral Small 4 cost compared to OpenAI o4-mini?

Mistral Small 4 costs $0.15/M input tokens and OpenAI o4-mini costs $1.1/M input tokens. Mistral Small 4 is $0.95/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 Small 4 and OpenAI o4-mini on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Mistral Small 4 and OpenAI o4-mini across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output, and Pro users can create custom challenges to test both models with their own prompts.

Rival

Updated Mar 16, 2026

Mistral Small 4vsOpenAI o4-mini

34 fights queued

Why Mistral Small 4?

7.3x cheaper overall$0.15/M in · $0.60/M out

11 months newerMar 2026

Why OpenAI o4-mini?

Dead even. This one's a coin flip.

Favorites

Mistral Small 4OpenAI o4-mini

Movie

The Dark Knight

20088.5

The Shawshank Redemption

19948.7

Album

OK Computer

Radiohead

—

Book

Братья Карамазовы

Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский

—

City

Kyoto

Japan

—

Game

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action4.5

—

6 / 34

Estimate Complexityreasoning

Tests an AI's ability to make educated estimates based on technical knowledge

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

2 / 34

Logic Puzzlereasoning

Tests an AI's ability to solve a simple but potentially confusing logic puzzle

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

3 / 34

Stochastic Consistency Testanalysis

Tests an AI's randomness and creativity

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

4 / 34

SVG Layout Challengeimage generation

Tests an AI's ability to generate vector graphics

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

5 / 34

Xbox Controller SVG Artimage generation

Tests an AI's ability to create detailed SVG illustrations of gaming hardware

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

6 / 34

Generate a Stand-Up Routineconversation

Tests an AI's humor and creative writing ability

Mistral Small 4

Mistral · Mar 2026text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

OpenAI o4-mini

Openai · Apr 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

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Our Verdict

OpenAI o4-mini

Mistral Small 4Runner-up

No community votes yet. On paper, OpenAI o4-mini has the edge — bigger model tier, major provider backing.

Mistral Small 4 is 7.3x cheaper per token — worth considering if cost matters.

Too close to call

These are our prompts. Yours will tell you more.

Run Mistral Small 4 vs OpenAI o4-mini on your actual task. 5 free credits. No card.

Test with your prompt

FAQ

Keep going

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Mistral Small 4 vs OpenAI o4-mini

Which is better, Mistral Small 4 or OpenAI o4-mini?