Mistral AI, the French company behind AI assistant Le Chat and several foundational models,, is officially regarded as one of France’s most promising tech startups and is arguably the only European company that could compete with OpenAI. But compared to its $6 billion valuation, its global market share is still relatively low.
However, the recent launch of its chat assistant on mobile app stores was met with some hype, particularly in its home country. “Go and download Le Chat, which is made by Mistral, rather than ChatGPT by OpenAI — or something else,” French president Emmanuel Macron said in a TV interview ahead of the AI Action Summit in Paris.
In this Blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Mistral AI — from its origins and innovations to how it stacks up against OpenAI and ChatGPT.
What is Mistral AI?
Mistral AI is a French artificial intelligence company which is known for developing Open-source Large language Models(LLMs) and AI tools.It has gained recognition for being one of Europe’s few contenders in a space dominated by U.S.-based giants like OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
Its alternative to ChatGPT, chat assistant Le Chat, is now also available on iOS and Android. It reached 1 million downloads in the two weeks following its mobile release, even grabbing France’s top spot for free downloads on the iOS App Store.
This comes in addition to Mistral AI’s suite of models, which includes :
- Mistral Large 2, the primary large language model replacing Mistral Large.
- Pixtral Large, unveiled in 2024 as a new addition to the Pixtral family of multimodal models.
- Codestral, a generative AI model for code.
- “Les Ministraux,” a family of models optimized for edge devices such as phones.
- Mistral Saba, focused on Arabic language.
Its most popular models are :
- Mistral 7B – A powerful, efficient model released with full weights.
- Mixtral – A mixture of experts model that balances performance and scalability.
What is Mistral AI Used For?
Mistral AI is specializing in developing and releasing open-source and commercial Large Language Models (LLMs). These models are designed for a variety of applications, including text generation, natural language processing, code development, and complex reasoning.
Mistral AI develops foundational LLMs that are used in a variety of applications, including:
- Natural language processing
- AI assistants
- Customer support bots
- Translation services
- Educational tools
- Code generation
One of its most important feature is Le Chat, a conversational AI assistant that works similarly to ChatGPT. Le Chat recently became available on mobile app stores, making it more accessible to everyday users.
Who are Mistral AI’s Founders?
Mistral AI was co-founded in 2023 by a trio of former AI researchers and engineers:
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Arthur Mensch – Former researcher at DeepMind and graduate of École Polytechnique.
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Guillaume Lample – Former FAIR (Facebook AI Research) scientist.
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Timothée Lacroix – Former Meta engineer.
Their combined experience from working in top-tier AI institutions has contributed to Mistral AI’s technical credibility and early success.
Are Mistral AI’s Models Open Source?
Yes, but not all of them. Mistral AI is known for its open-weight models can be used without any licence restrictions.Mistral AI differentiates its premier models, whose weights are not available for commercial purposes, from its free models, for which it provides weight access under the Apache 2.0 license.
Free models include research models such as Mistral NeMo, which was built in collaboration with Nvidia that the startup open-sourced in July 2024.
Must Watch this Video to know more about Mistral AI
How Does Mistral AI Compare to OpenAI?
| Feature | Mistral AI | OpenAI |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | France | United States |
| Popular Chatbot | Le Chat(Fastest AI Assistant) | ChatGPT |
| Open-Source Models | Yes | Limited (GPT-2 and some older models) |
| Valuation | ~$6 billion | ~$80 billion+ |
| Model Access | Free for most models | Subscription-based for GPT-4 |
| Key Philosophy | Transparency and openness | Controlled access and monetization |
| Government Support | Strong backing from French officials | U.S.-based partnerships and support |
Why is Mistral AI Gaining Attention?
Mistral AI offers flexibility in deployment, high efficiency, user-friendly integration, and the ability to create customized AI applications. It also provides real-time data integration for accurate and timely insights.
Several factors contribute :
- European leadership in AI innovation.
- open-source model to the developer community.
- Strong valuation — Mistral AI is already valued at $6 billion despite its relatively small global market share.
- Mobile rollout of Le Chat, offering a direct consumer experience similar to ChatGPT.
Is Mistral AI Better Than ChatGPT?
The answer depends on the use case. If you value transparency, open access, and flexibility, Mistral AI is a strong choice. Its models are capable, lightweight, and suitable for both research and deployment.
However, for general users who need polished performance, broader integrations, and seamless UI/UX, ChatGPT (especially GPT-4) remains more feature-rich — at least for now.
Mistral AI is rapidly growing and Le chat is receiving ongoing updates and improvements.
Final Thoughts
Mistral AI is quickly positioning itself as a leader in the open-source AI movement. While it may not yet match OpenAI’s global reach or advanced models like GPT-4, it offers a fresh, developer-friendly alternative that puts openness first.
With strong backing, brilliant founders, and a growing user base, Mistral AI is certainly one to watch.
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