Codestral vs GPT-5
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
GPT-5 by OpenAI wins on 11 of 15 benchmarks against Codestral by Mistral, which leads on 4. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
General Intelligence: In general intelligence, GPT-5 scores 1390 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Codestral's 1260, while GPT-5 scores 86.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Codestral's 68.0%.
Coding: In coding, GPT-5 scores 92.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Codestral's 86.0%, while GPT-5 scores 74.9% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Codestral's 40.0%, while GPT-5 scores 78.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Codestral's 48.0%.
Math: In math, GPT-5 scores 94.6% on MATH compared to Codestral's 72.0%, while GPT-5 scores 98.0% on GSM8K compared to Codestral's 88.0%.
Reasoning: In reasoning, GPT-5 scores 87.3% on GPQA Diamond compared to Codestral's 44.0%, while GPT-5 scores 50.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Codestral's 24.0%.
Context: In context, GPT-5 scores 400K on Context Length compared to Codestral's 256K.
Pricing Comparison
Codestral costs $0.30/1M input tokens and $0.90/1M output tokens, while GPT-5 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output. Codestral is the more affordable option for API usage.
Speed Comparison
Codestral generates output at 90 tok/s compared to GPT-5's 100 tok/s, and the time to first token is 280 ms for Codestral versus 320 ms for GPT-5. GPT-5 delivers faster throughput.
Verdict
For developers prioritizing affordability, Codestral has the edge. For those who value coding and general intelligence and math and speed, GPT-5 is the stronger choice.
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Codestral vs GPT-5 — FAQ
Which is better, Codestral or GPT-5?
GPT-5 wins on more benchmarks overall (11 vs 4). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does Codestral compare to GPT-5 for coding?
GPT-5 is better for coding, scoring 74.9% on SWE-bench Verified compared to 40.0%. SWE-bench tests real-world software engineering by resolving actual GitHub issues.
Is Codestral cheaper than GPT-5?
Yes, Codestral is cheaper. Codestral costs $0.30/1M input and $0.90/1M output tokens. GPT-5 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, Codestral or GPT-5?
GPT-5 is faster, generating output at 100 tok/s compared to 90 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.
What benchmarks does the Codestral vs GPT-5 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 15 benchmarks including Chatbot Arena ELO, MMLU-Pro, HumanEval+, MATH, GPQA Diamond, SWE-bench Verified, Output Speed, LiveCodeBench, and more. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.