Codestral vs GPT-5.1

Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.

GPT-5.1 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-5.1 scores 1464 on Chatbot Arena ELO compared to Codestral's 1260, while GPT-5.1 scores 86.0% on MMLU-Pro compared to Codestral's 68.0%.

Coding: In coding, GPT-5.1 scores 93.0% on HumanEval+ compared to Codestral's 86.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 76.3% on SWE-bench Verified compared to Codestral's 40.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 82.0% on LiveCodeBench compared to Codestral's 48.0%.

Math: In math, GPT-5.1 scores 95.0% on MATH compared to Codestral's 72.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 98.5% on GSM8K compared to Codestral's 88.0%.

Reasoning: In reasoning, GPT-5.1 scores 88.1% on GPQA Diamond compared to Codestral's 44.0%, while GPT-5.1 scores 50.0% on ARC-AGI compared to Codestral's 24.0%.

Context: In context, GPT-5.1 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-5.1 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-5.1's 95 tok/s, and the time to first token is 280 ms for Codestral versus 350 ms for GPT-5.1. GPT-5.1 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-5.1 is the stronger choice.

View Individual Model Pages

Codestral vs GPT-5.1 — FAQ

Which is better, Codestral or GPT-5.1?

GPT-5.1 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-5.1 for coding?

GPT-5.1 is better for coding, scoring 76.3% 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-5.1?

Yes, Codestral is cheaper. Codestral costs $0.30/1M input and $0.90/1M output tokens. GPT-5.1 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens.

Which is faster, Codestral or GPT-5.1?

GPT-5.1 is faster, generating output at 95 tok/s compared to 90 tok/s. Faster output speed means shorter wait times for API responses.

What benchmarks does the Codestral vs GPT-5.1 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.