Pairwise benchmark snapshot · Aug 17, 2026
In this head-to-head showdown, Mistral Large 3 delivers higher overall intelligence and human-preferred responses (Elo 1,456 vs 1,398), while Qwen3.8 27B leads in SWE-bench software engineering benchmarks (58.8%), while Qwen3.8 27B is more budget-friendly at $3.2/1M per 1M output tokens. Review the complete breakdown below to determine which model best fits your performance and budget requirements.
9 benchmarks evaluated across capability, speed, and cost
Mistral European flagship with strong function calling.
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop dated Aug 14 2026. Dense enough to self-host; not a frontier MoE.
Currently comparing Mistral Large 3 vs Qwen3.8 27B. Alternative family tiers available.
Δ 58 Arena Elo pts
152 tok/s
$3.1999999999999997 / 1M output
Relative percentile scores computed across all active models in the benchmark catalog.
Comparing top standard models across 6 key capability dimensions. Tap any spoke or dot to inspect.
Category wins across reasoning intelligence, generation speed, and token cost.
Preference Elo, Coding proficiency, SWE-bench & LiveBench accuracy
Generation throughput and time to first token responsiveness
Cost per million tokens and max context window length
| Benchmark | Mistral Large 3 | Qwen3.8 27B | Advantage Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preference Elo | +58 | ||
| Coding Elo | — | — | |
| LiveBench | +1.2% | ||
| SWE-bench | +3.4% | ||
| GPQA Diamond | +0.7% | ||
| Time to first token | +50 ms | ||
| Output speed | 112 tok/s | 152 tok/s | +40 tok/s |
| Input price | $0.45/1M | +$1.55/1M | |
| Output price | $3.2/1M | +$2.8/1M | |
| Context window | +134k |
Simulate monthly production API costs in USD (US Dollar).
Qwen3.8 27B is estimated to save $96.25/month ($1,155/year).
Higher SWE-bench (58.8%).
Lower output list price ($3.2/1M).
Lower TTFT (140 ms).
Larger window (262k).
Mistral Large 3 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog.
| Target Workload | Recommended Pick | Evaluation Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Repo / coding agents | Qwen3.8 27B | Higher SWE-bench (58.8%). |
| High-volume chat | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower output list price ($3.2/1M). |
| Voice / low-latency UI | Qwen3.8 27B | Lower TTFT (140 ms). |
| Long-document RAG | Qwen3.8 27B | Larger window (262k). |
| Screenshots / vision | Mistral Large 3 | Mistral Large 3 is the side marked multimodal in the catalog. |
Alibaba open-weight 27B drop. Local/open-weight lists should see it. It will not win frontier-agents.
Jan 2026. Not the Elo crown. Useful when residency and tools matter more than Arena.
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