| Signal | Mistral Small 4 | Delta | Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 83 | +50 | |
Pricing | 1 | +1 | |
Context window size | 86 | +19 | |
Recency | 100 | +47 | |
Output Capacity | 20 | -50 | |
Benchmarks | 0 | -67 | |
| Overall Result | 4 wins | of 6 | 2 wins |
30
days ranked higher
0
days
0
days ranked higher
Mistral AI
Microsoft
Phi 4 saves you $31.50/month
That's $378.00/year compared to Mistral Small 4 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | Mistral Small 4 | Phi 4 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 79 | 60 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Rank | #79 | #223 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Quality Rank | #79 | #223 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Adoption Rank | #79 | #223 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 262K | 16K | Mistral Small 4 |
| Pricing | $0.15/$0.60/M | $0.07/$0.14/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 83 | 33 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Pricing | 1 | 0 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Context window size | 86 | 67 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Recency | 100 | 53 | Mistral Small 4 |
| Output Capacity | 20 | 70 | Phi 4 |
| Benchmarks | -- | 68 | Phi 4 |
Our composite score (0–100) combines six weighted signals: benchmark performance (25%), pricing efficiency (25%), context window size (15%), model recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and capability versatility (10%). Here's what the scores mean for these two models:
Scores 79/100 (rank #79), placing it in the top 73% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 60/100 (rank #223), placing it in the top 23% of all 290 models tracked.
Mistral Small 4 has a 20-point advantage, which typically translates to noticeably stronger performance on complex reasoning, code generation, and multi-step tasks.
Phi 4 offers 73% better value per quality point. At 1M tokens/day, you'd spend $3.08/month with Phi 4 vs $11.25/month with Mistral Small 4 - a $8.18 monthly difference.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Higher benchmark score (0/100) indicates stronger performance on coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Faster response time (speed score 0/100) is critical for user-facing chat. Phi 4 also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (262K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($0.14/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (79/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
Image understanding & OCR
Supports vision input - can analyze screenshots, diagrams, photos, and scanned documents directly
Mistral Small 4 clearly outperforms Phi 4 with a significant 19.800000000000004-point lead. For most general use cases, Mistral Small 4 is the stronger choice. However, Phi 4 may still excel in niche scenarios.
Best for Quality
Mistral Small 4
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Phi 4
73% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Mistral Small 4
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Mistral Small 4
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Mistral Small 4
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by Mistral AI
| Capability | Mistral Small 4 | Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input)differs | ||
| Function Callingdiffers | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoningdiffers | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
Mistral AI
Microsoft
Phi 4 saves you $0.7050/month
That's 71% cheaper than Mistral Small 4 at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | Mistral Small 4 | Phi 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 262K | 16K |
| Max Output Tokens | -- | 16,384 |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Created | Mar 16, 2026 | Jan 10, 2025 |
Mistral Small 4 scores 79/100 (rank #79) compared to Phi 4's 60/100 (rank #223), giving it a 20-point advantage. Mistral Small 4 is the stronger overall choice, though Phi 4 may excel in specific areas like cost efficiency.
Mistral Small 4 is ranked #79 and Phi 4 is ranked #223 out of 290+ AI models. Rankings use a composite score combining benchmark performance (25%), pricing (25%), context window (15%), recency (15%), output capacity (10%), and versatility (10%). Scores update hourly.
Phi 4 is cheaper at $0.14/M output tokens vs Mistral Small 4's $0.60/M output tokens - 4.3x more expensive. Input token pricing: Mistral Small 4 at $0.15/M vs Phi 4 at $0.07/M.
Mistral Small 4 has a larger context window of 262,144 tokens compared to Phi 4's 16,384 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.