MiniMax M3 vs Ministral 3 8B 2512

Price, context window & benchmark comparison

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MiniMax M3

MiniMax
$0.30 / $1.20
Input / Output · per 1M tokens
VS
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Ministral 3 8B 2512

Mistral AI
$0.15 / $0.15
Input / Output · per 1M tokens
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Verdict: Ministral 3 8B 2512 is 3.5× cheaper than MiniMax M3 on a typical 3:1 input/output mix. MiniMax M3 scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (29.2 vs 5.5). MiniMax M3 has the larger context window (1M vs 262K).
MiniMax M3Ministral 3 8B 2512
Input price / 1M$0.30$0.15
Output price / 1M$1.20$0.15
Blended price (3:1)$0.52$0.15
Cached input / 1M$0.06$0.015
Context window1M262K
Max output512K210K
Intelligence index29.25.5
Coding index58.69.7
Providers133
Best provider uptime (30m)100.0%98.8%
Vision inputYesYes
ReasoningYesNo
Tool callingYesYes
Released2026-05-312025-12-02
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FAQ

Which is cheaper, MiniMax M3 or Ministral 3 8B 2512?

Ministral 3 8B 2512 is 3.5× cheaper than MiniMax M3 on a typical 3:1 input/output mix.

MiniMax M3 vs Ministral 3 8B 2512: which has a bigger context window?

MiniMax M3: 1,048,576 tokens. Ministral 3 8B 2512: 262,144 tokens.

How much would 1 million requests cost?

At 2,000 input + 500 output tokens per request: MiniMax M3 ≈ $1,200, Ministral 3 8B 2512 ≈ $375.00.

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