ChatGPT has democratized major language models to the general public. Since its arrival on the market in November 2022, interest in AI has only grown. And so has competition. The best-known are located across the Atlantic.
Unsurprisingly, the GAFAM (Big Four) companies are all in the race with their unlimited funds. But Europe also intends to carve out a place for itself in the AI race. Its best challenger?
Mistral AI, a French startup that is establishing itself as a credible European alternative. So who is the best?Mistral vs ChatGPT?Discover the Techjustify analysis.
Table of Contents
TL;DR — Quick Summary
- ChatGPT (OpenAI) → Best for creativity, reasoning, web search reliability, and multimodal AI.
- Mistral AI → Best for speed, open-source flexibility, data sovereignty, and enterprise control.
- For complex tasks/coding/deep analysis → choose ChatGPT
- For rapid generation/privacy sensitive workflows → choose Mistral
Mistral VS ChatGPT – What are we talking about?
Key Differences at a Glance (Comparison Table)
| Feature | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Mistral AI |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | 2022 | 2023 |
| Ownership | Proprietary | Mostly open-source |
| Speed | ~200–500 tokens/sec | Up to ~1,000 tokens/sec |
| Reasoning | Exceptional | Strong but slightly behind |
| Web Search | Very accurate and detailed | Works but less consistent |
| Multimodal | Text, images, video, audio | Text + images (Pixtral) |
| Image Model | DALL·E 3 | Flux Pro (Black Forest) |
| Best For | Creative work, research, coding | Enterprise, automation, fast generation |
| Ideal Users | Creators, developers, students | Businesses, analysts, European institutions |
Mistral AI, the LLM made in France
Founded in April 2023 by three brilliant minds – Arthur Mensch, Guillaume Lample and Timothée Lacroix – this Parisian startup has made a remarkable entrance onto the generative AI scene.
Why is Mistral AI so much talked about ?
First, its open source philosophy , which contrasts with OpenAI’s proprietary approach. Second, its impressive speed , with up to 1,000 words generated per second.
And of course, its comprehensive features. Mistral AI offers “Le Chat,” a customizable, multilingual AI assistant that integrates real-time web search to provide up-to-date information. This is complemented by tools for developing and deploying custom AI applications, facilitating the integration of AI into various business processes.
These models can perform various tasks, such as summarizing large reports, classifying customer reviews to identify dissatisfaction, and translating multilingual emails.
Beyond its performance, Mistral AI is banking on a powerful argument to attract European companies and institutions: digital sovereignty and data protection, two values at the heart of its DNA.
In concrete terms, this “made in France” chatbot works like its American rival you submit prompts and it generates content but with a different vision of what generative AI should be: transparent, customizable, and respectful of your privacy.
ChatGPT, the pioneer
Launched at the end of 2022 by OpenAI, ChatGPT has revolutionized our relationship with artificial intelligence. This generative AI has won over 100 million users in record time! Its strength? An impressive versatility that goes far beyond simple text generation .
Writing articles, creating computer code, analyzing images, planning trips, designing videos , … it performs almost everything asked of it via simple “prompts”.
The American giant has managed to make this complex technology surprisingly accessible—just type a question and the chatbot adapts to your needs. More recently, OpenAI has even integrated voice capabilities, transforming interactions into real conversations.
Under the hood, there’s a massive language model (GPT for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer”) that’s constantly being improved, capable of producing unique and often stunningly natural responses. A pioneer that has democratized generative AI for the general public.
Mistral vs ChatGPT: how do they work?
Mistral and ChatGPT are two artificial intelligence giants that simplify the lives of professionals and individuals. But what exactly sets them apart? To answer this question, we took a closer look at how they work:
- Technical Architecture: Mistral AI adopts a lightweight Transformer structure optimized for speed. While ChatGPT (GPT-4) uses a much larger model with a significantly higher number of parameters.
- Data approach : The French model relies on open-source datasets that guarantee greater transparency. ChatGPT, on the other hand, uses gigantic, but less transparent, proprietary databases.
- Speed of execution : Mistral AI stands out for its exceptional speed and low resource consumption, allowing for near-instantaneous responses.
- Analytical Ability : ChatGPT excels at deep contextual understanding and detailed content generation.
- Design Philosophy : Mistral’s modular approach facilitates frequent updates and provides better scalability, contrasting with ChatGPT’s more monolithic architecture.
- Performance/resource balance : Mistral prioritizes energy efficiency without sacrificing too much quality. While ChatGPT relies on raw power for more sophisticated responses.
| Characteristic | ChatGPT (OpenAI) | Mistral AI |
|---|---|---|
| Creation date | December 2022 | May 2023 |
| Number of models | Around thirty models, the most well-known being GPT 4.5 Preview, GPT 4o, o3-mini, DALL-E 3, etc. | 9 models divided into 2 categories: Free and Premier. Among them: Codestral for the code, Mistral Large for its reasoning capacity, Pixtral for its multimodal capabilities, etc. |
| Investment | Over $17 billion + $40 billion in negotiations. | More than one billion euros, with investors such as Microsoft, Nvidia, General Catalyst, BNP Paribas, Salesforce |
| Open-source or proprietary | Owner | Open-source |
| Number of users | 200 million weekly active users by August 2024 | Over a million downloads for Chat |
| Speed | About 200 words/second | About 1000 words/second |
| Highlights | Collaboration, complex projects, customization | Simplicity, speed, automation |
| Limitations | Adaptation time required, manual validation sometimes slowing down the workflow | Less suitable for very complex projects |
| Ideal use case | Developing complex applications as a team | Rapid development of medium-sized projects |
Mistral vs ChatGPT – Who Performs Better?
Creativity
Who wins the battle of imagination between our two AIs? We challenged ChatGPT and Mistral AI to tell a fantastical story in 150 words – and the results are revealing!
Curiously, both models gave their protagonist the same first name, without any instructions being given to them. A disturbing coincidence!
While both stories feature a classic narrative structure with a consistent beginning, development, and conclusion, the comparison ends there.
Mistral uses language that is still too robotic, with the typical AI opening paragraph: “In a world where…” It relies on classic fantasy elements: the mysterious mountain to climb, the wise mentor, the melody with magical powers.
Read Also: Best AI Agents
ChatGPT, on the other hand, transports us to a much more original universe with its cloud bridges and suspended kingdom. It offers us richer and more evocative mental images, a surprising narrative framework that goes off the beaten track and a moral dilemma that gives depth to the character.
When it comes to narrative creativity, ChatGPT stays ahead of the curve!
Web search
Which of our challengers is the most reliable at finding accurate information on the web? To decide, I asked the two AIs a sports question: “What are the results of the 109th classic in history (PSG vs OM)?”
The result is clear! Despite activating its search function, Mistral AI struggles to provide accurate information on this iconic match. For its part, ChatGPT not only delivers the precise score, but enriches its response with a wealth of details: scorers, key moments, match statistics… It even goes so far as to offer a YouTube video to relive the highlights of the match!
This striking difference is likely due to ChatGPT’s more robust connections to up-to-date news sources. When it comes to searching for specific, recent facts, OpenAI’s tool demonstrates superior efficiency and a better ability to synthesize relevant data.
So for your factual information searches, ChatGPT seems to be the preferred choice.
Image generation
The AI battle also extends to the realm of generated images . Mistral AI and ChatGPT now offer this functionality with distinct approaches.
Mistral’s image generator is based on the Flux Pro model developed by Black Forest – a benchmark that ranks among the best in the prestigious Text to Image Arena ranking. This strategic alliance allows Mistral to offer particularly realistic visuals.
OpenAI is banking on its own technology, DALL-E 3, to equip ChatGPT with graphics creation capabilities.
Two different technologies resulting in two different styles. Since we didn’t provide any instructions, we won’t compare this aspect, but rather the accuracy of the results . In our library generation test, the books created by Mistral AI display Latin titles on their spines—a small detail that greatly enhances the image’s realism. In contrast, the works generated by ChatGPT remain untitled, thus appearing more generic.
This attention to detail gives Mistral AI a slight edge in generating realistic images, even as both technologies continue to evolve rapidly.
Analyzing a PDF
The ability to extract, understand, and synthesize information from complex documents is a crucial test for AI. To assess this skill, I submitted the latest IPCC report to both models.
Faced with this dense scientific document, Mistral AI demonstrates a truly in-depth analysis. Its summary is distinguished by superior scientific precision, subtly exploring climate mechanisms and their long-term consequences. The French platform seems particularly comfortable with technical and specialized content.
ChatGPT takes a different, but equally valuable, approach. It’s a more concise summary features a neat visual organization that makes it easier to read. OpenAI’s tool also enriches its summary with additional numerical data, making the information more concrete for the non-specialist reader.
Each model ultimately meets distinct needs: Mistral AI excels at in-depth, technical analysis for experts, while ChatGPT offers an accessible, well-structured summary, ideal for quickly grasping the key points. The choice will therefore depend on your objective: immersion in complexity or efficient overview?
It’s up to you to choose the AI that suits you best. And to use it to its full potential, don’t hesitate to train on Mistral or ChatGPT.
Mistral vs ChatGPT Pricing Comparison
(Approx. values — adjust based on your region or latest updates)
ChatGPT
- ChatGPT Free → GPT-4o-mini
- ChatGPT Plus → ~$20/month
- Team / Enterprise → Premium
- API → ~$0.20–$5 per million tokens (depends on model)
Mistral API
- Typically lower than OpenAI
- Many models free or low-cost
- Enterprise packages available
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose ChatGPT if you need:
- Creativity
- Coding help
- Research accuracy
- Multimodal outputs
- Strong web search
Choose Mistral if you need:
- Speed
- Privacy & sovereignty
- Custom models
- Enterprise deployment
- Open-source flexibility
Final Verdict
There is no absolute winner:
- ChatGPT remains the leader in creativity, reasoning, multimodal tasks, and search accuracy.
- Mistral dominates in speed, efficiency, sovereignty, and open-source innovation.
Your best choice depends on your use case, not on a single ranking.
Is Mistral better than ChatGPT?
Not overall. Mistral is faster and more customizable, but ChatGPT is better in reasoning, creativity, and web search.
Which AI is best for business?
Mistral for private deployments, ChatGPT for productivity and creativity.
Is Mistral open source?
Yes, Mistral has many of its models that are fully open-source.
Is Mistrel cheaper than Chatgpt
Mistral’s API is generally cheaper than ChatGPT.
Pradeep Sharma is a author the mind behind Techjustify, where I craft insightful blogs on technology, digital tools, gaming, AI, and beyond. With years of experience in digital marketing and a passion for tech innovation, I aim to simplify complex topics for readers worldwide.
My mission is to empower individuals with practical knowledge and up-to-date insights, helping them make informed decisions in the ever-evolving digital landscape.