Mistral Small 3.1 24BvsMistral Small 3
Complete comparison between Mistral Small 3.1 24B (24B parameters, Mistral AI) and Mistral Small 3 (24B, Mistral AI). VRAM required by quantization, tokens per second measured on 4 reference GPUs, use-case verdict, license, installation commands. All figures are calculated from catalog data—no copy-pasting between pages.
In brief
| Feature | Mistral Small 3.1 24B | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Settings | 24B | 24B |
| Family | Mistral | Mistral |
| Author | Mistral AI | Mistral AI |
| Origin | FR | FR |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Context | 128,000 tokens | 32 768 tokens |
| Output | March 2025 | January 2025 |
Memory footprint
Approximate VRAM required for inference with an average context window. The winner (in green) is the model that uses less — smaller models have the edge.
| Quantization | Mistral Small 3.1 24B | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Q4_K_M (lightweight) | 14 GB | 14 GB |
| Q5_K_M (balanced) | 17 GB | 17 GB |
| Q8 (near-lossless) | 26 GB | 26 GB |
| FP16 (max quality) | 48 GB | 48 GB |
| CPU-only RAM | 24 GB | 24 GB |
Estimated speed (tokens/second)
Estimates based on the best quantization that can fit on each GPU. Actual figures depend on the prompt, context, and engine (llama.cpp, vLLM, MLX). Methodology.
| Reference GPU | Mistral Small 3.1 24B | Mistral Small 3 |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 (24 GB) | 40 tok/s · Q5_K_M | 40 tok/s · Q5_K_M |
| RTX 4080 (16 GB) | 15 tok/s · Q4_K_M | 15 tok/s · Q4_K_M |
| RTX 3060 12GB (12 GB) | ✗ too heavy | ✗ too heavy |
| Apple M4 Pro (48 GB) (36 GB) | 15 tok/s · Q8 | 15 tok/s · Q8 |
Verdict by use case
For each common use case, we indicate which of the two is better suited based on its tags, size, and specialization.
Your private, free ChatGPT on your machine in 1 hour — LM Studio, Ollama, Open WebUI, your documents, no cloud.
- Lifetime online access
- PDF + files
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Strengths and weaknesses
Mistral Small 3.1 24B
Small 3 enhanced with vision. 128k ctx, Apache 2.0. Replaced by Small 3.2 since June 2025.
- Vision + text in a 24B
- 128k ctx
- Apache 2.0
- ~150 tok/s inference
- Requires Ollama ≥ 0.6.5
- Small 3.2 (June 2025) improves it slightly
Installation
Mistral Small 3
Excellent quality-to-size ratio at release (early 2025). Competes with 70B models.
- Quality close to Llama 70B
- Low latency
- 128k context
- Excellent for agents and tool use
- Requires at least 16 GB of VRAM in Q4
- Worse at coding than Qwen Coder
Installation
Frequently asked questions
Which model runs best on RTX 4090 (24 GB): Mistral Small 3.1 24B or Mistral Small 3?
On an RTX 4090, Mistral Small 3.1 24B runs at Q5_K_M (~40 tok/s), Mistral Small 3 in Q5_K_M (~40 tok/s). In pure throughput, Mistral Small 3 wins. See the configurator to test your exact GPU.
Mistral Small 3.1 24B or Mistral Small 3: which is better in French?
In French, the two are equivalent for basic chat. For literary or legal texts, prefer a European-origin model (see our French guides).
Which uses the least VRAM?
Both require the same VRAM in Q4 (14 GB). The choice then comes down to the license or perceived quality.
Mistral Small 3.1 24B or Mistral Small 3 for coding?
Mistral Small 3 is the best fit (code-specialized, top HumanEval scores). For an IDE copilot, pair it with Continue or Aider.
Can these models be used in commercial production?
Mistral Small 3.1 24B is under Apache 2.0 — free for commercial use. Mistral Small 3 is under Apache 2.0 — also free to use. For SaaS, prefer Apache 2.0 or MIT.
Which one should you choose in 2026?
Depends on your primary constraint. Smaller / faster: Mistral Small 3.1 24B (24B). More capable: Mistral Small 3.1 24B (24B). If you're unsure, run it configurator with your GPU and use case — it will decide based on both.
Alternatives to consider
If neither works for you, here are some neighboring models you could explore.