ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Command R vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B

Mistral Small 3.1 24B comes out ahead, 61 to 51 on our weighted score, though Command R is 6% cheaper per token.

  1. Cohere

    Command R

    Released Aug 30, 2024

    51/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.15 / $0.60
    • Context128K
  2. Our pick

    Mistral AI

    Mistral Small 3.1 24B

    Released Mar 17, 2025

    61/100
    • ECI127.5
    • Price$0.229 / $0.436
    • Context128K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Mistral Small 3.1 24B is our pick

Mistral Small 3.1 24B is the better all-round choice, scoring 61/100 against Command R (51). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceCommand RCommand R $0.263 · Mistral Small 3.1 24B $0.281 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameCommand R 128,000 · Mistral Small 3.1 24B 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsMistral Small 3.1 24BCommand R: Text · Mistral Small 3.1 24B: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightCommand RMistral Small 3.1 24B
Price50%7776
Inputs & features30%2560
Context window20%2424
Overall100%51/10061/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Command R vs Mistral Small 3.1 24B specifications side by side
SpecificationCommand RCohereMistral Small 3.1 24BMistral AI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—127.5
ECI rank—#132 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—47.5%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—5.8%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.15 (best)$0.229
Output$0.60$0.436 (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.263 (best)$0.281
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Cohere APIMedian of 2 providers
Limits
Context window128,000 tokens128,000 tokens
Max output4,000 tokens16,384 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDcommand-r-08-2024—
API providers5 (best)2
ReleasedAug 30, 2024Mar 17, 2025
Knowledge cutoffJun 1, 2024Jun 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Command R$2.70
  • Mistral Small 3.1 24B$3.16
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Command R or Mistral Small 3.1 24B?

Mistral Small 3.1 24B is the better all-round choice, scoring 61/100 against Command R (51). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Command R or Mistral Small 3.1 24B?

Command R is cheaper at $0.15 input / $0.60 output per million tokens (official Cohere API price). Mistral Small 3.1 24B costs $0.229 input / $0.436 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.263 per million tokens for Command R versus $0.281 for Mistral Small 3.1 24B (1.1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Command R has not been scored yet and Mistral Small 3.1 24B has an ECI of 127.5.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Command R and Mistral Small 3.1 24B yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Command R and Mistral Small 3.1 24B share the same 128,000-token context window. Maximum output per response: Command R up to 4,000, Mistral Small 3.1 24B up to 16,384 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Command R accepts text; Mistral Small 3.1 24B accepts text and images. Mistral Small 3.1 24B handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Mistral Small 3.1 24B is the newest, released Mar 17, 2025. Command R came out Aug 30, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Command R Jun 1, 2024, Mistral Small 3.1 24B Jun 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.