Mistral vs ChatGPT

As of 2026-07-18, Mistral (Mistral: Mistral Small 3, 7.8/10) leads ChatGPT (OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Nano, 7.1/10) in our daily benchmark, where over 350 AI models are evaluated.

Mistral is the European alternative, and for many Scandinavian organisations that argument outweighs a decimal on a benchmark: data processed in the EU, under European rules.

Mistral AI

Mistral

Mistral: Mistral Small 3

Score: 7.8/10

Language: 8.7/10

Speed: 234 t/s

$0.05

OpenAI

ChatGPT

OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Nano

Score: 7.1/10

Language: 8.0/10

Speed: 157 t/s

$0.20

Side by side

	Mistral	ChatGPT
In today’s benchmark	Mistral: Mistral Small 3	OpenAI: GPT-5.4 Nano
Score	7.8/10	7.1/10
Language	8.7/10	8.0/10
Speed	234 t/s	157 t/s
Input price/1M	$0.05	$0.20

What separates them?

ChatGPT is stronger on most capability measures and has a far larger ecosystem of tools and integrations. Mistral is European, offers EU data processing, publishes open weights for several of its models, and is often cheaper. On Scandinavian languages the gap is smaller than many assume — see the numbers in the table.

Who should choose what?

If GDPR and data location are the decisive requirement and the tasks are of normal difficulty, Mistral is a genuine option. If you need the highest possible quality on demanding work, or depend on a broad tool ecosystem, ChatGPT remains stronger.

hvilkenAI is independent. We have no affiliate agreements, sponsored placements or commercial ties to the AI providers we test. The numbers above come from today’s benchmark.

Frequently asked questions

Is Mistral good enough for Scandinavian languages?

See the language score in the table above. It updates daily and shows how the Mistral models actually perform right now.

Is Mistral GDPR-friendly?

Mistral offers EU data processing, which simplifies compliance. You still need a data processing agreement and a valid legal basis.

Is Mistral cheaper than ChatGPT?

Usually yes, especially for the smaller models. The prices in the table are fetched daily.