Magistral Medium vs ERNIE 4.5
Benchmarks, API Token Pricing, Context Window & Speed Comparison
Related topics (12)
Magistral Medium by Mistral AI and ERNIE 4.5 by Baidu represent two of the frontier AI models analyzed in our comprehensive 2026 AI benchmark and LLM comparison. In this head-to-head evaluation, we examine API token pricing, context window specifications, inference speed (tokens per second), and empirical reasoning performance. From a pure economic perspective, ERNIE 4.5 holds a notable pricing advantage for token ingestion. On output generation, ERNIE 4.5 is more economical per million generated tokens. In data-heavy architectures requiring extensive repository or document analysis, both models provide an identical memory horizon with 128K tokens. In latency-sensitive production environments, ERNIE 4.5 leads in tokens-per-second throughput, making it ideal for real-time conversational agents and high-concurrency workflows. Below is the complete empirical head-to-head breakdown across cost, speed, context, and capability matrices.
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Magistral Medium
Transparent ReasonerMistral's specialized reasoning engine engineered with inspectable chain-of-thought, mathematical proof synthesis, and deliberate decision trees.
$1.00 / 1M
$3.50 / 1M
128K tokens
45.2%
ERNIE 4.5
Chinese FlagshipBaidu's multimodal Chinese foundation model integrating text, vision, and audio comprehension with deep Chinese cultural knowledge.
$0.60 / 1M
$2.40 / 1M
128K tokens
N/A
Key Differences at a Glance
- ERNIE 4.5 is 1.6x cheaper for API usage (input + output tokens combined).
- ERNIE 4.5 is faster at 75 tok/s vs 50 tok/s.
| Feature | Magistral Medium | ERNIE 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Composite reasoning & knowledge score (0-100) | 51 | 81 |
Provider | Mistral AI | Baidu |
Input Price Cost per million input tokens | $1.00 / 1M | $0.60 / 1M |
Output Price Cost per million output tokens | $3.50 / 1M | $2.40 / 1M |
Blended Price Weighted 7:2:1 cache:input:output per 1M | $0.72 / 1M | $0.40 / 1M |
Context Window Maximum input + output tokens | 128K tokens~192 A4 pages of text | 128K tokens~192 A4 pages of text |
Max Output Tokens Per single request | 33K | 8K |
Throughput Speed Tokens generated per second | 50 tok/s | 75 tok/s |
SWE-bench Verified Real-world software engineering | 45.2% | N/A |
GPQA Diamond Graduate-level reasoning | 67.8% | 60% |
Cached Input Price Prompt caching discount per 1M tokens | $0.25 / 1M | $0.06 / 1M |
Who Wins Where?
At-a-glance decision frameworkEvaluations ongoing
Empirical Head-to-Head Benchmark Scores
Official evaluation metrics verified by independent third-party research labs.
Industry benchmark evaluating real-world GitHub issue resolution and multi-file debugging.
Challenging questions created by domain experts to test complex PhD-level reasoning.
Hardened reasoning and academic knowledge benchmark with reduced lucky-guess probability.
Crowdsourced human preference evaluation based on blind, head-to-head model battles.
Autonomous multi-step tasks executed inside a real command-line terminal environment.
American Invitational Mathematics Examination — multi-step Olympiad-level reasoning.
Accuracy when reasoning over very large inputs that fill the model context window.
Tokens emitted per second during active generation streaming.
Latency & Response Time
Time to first token (TTFT) and estimated end-to-end response time for a typical 500-token response.
Real-Time Interactive Token Cost Simulator
Adjust sliders to calculate projected monthly cloud API spending with prompt caching discounts.
Magistral Medium · Strengths & Key Advantages
- Transparent, auditable internal reasoning trace before final synthesis
- Substantial improvements on competitive mathematics and algorithmic proofs
- Full 128K context window with deliberate tool planning
Considerations & Trade-offs
- Higher token output overhead due to extended reasoning traces
- Text-only input without native image or video processing
ERNIE 4.5 · Strengths & Key Advantages
- State-of-the-art Chinese language understanding and cultural knowledge nuance
- Multimodal ingestion handling text, audio recordings, and visual imagery
- Seamless integration with Baidu Qianfan enterprise AI platform
Considerations & Trade-offs
- English performance lags behind top American frontier models
- Context window limited to 128K tokens
Token Use & Task Economics
Estimated cost and token consumption to complete one representative agentic task.
| Metric | Magistral Medium | ERNIE 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
Cost per Task Estimated USD to finish one task | $0.65 | $0.16 |
Output Tokens / Task Tokens generated per task | 40K | 18K |
Reasoning Tokens / Task Thinking tokens burned per task | 22K | 4K |
Technical Specifications
Architecture, release timeline, capabilities, and modalities.
| Feature | Magistral Medium | ERNIE 4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Official API Model ID (SDK) | magistral-medium-latest | ernie-4-5 |
| API Protocol | Mistral AI REST API (OpenAI-Compatible) | Baidu REST API (OpenAI-Compatible) |
| Release Date | 2025-03 | 2025-03 |
| Knowledge Cutoff | January 2025 | December 2024 |
| Architecture | Reinforcement-Learned Reasoning Transformer | Multimodal Foundation Knowledge Transformer |
| Parameters | Confidential (~70B) | Confidential |
| Enterprise Rate Limits (RPM / TPM) | 5,000 – 15,000 RPM (Production Tier) · 800,000 – 2,000,000 TPM | 5,000 – 15,000 RPM (Production Tier) · 800,000 – 2,000,000 TPM |
| Long-Context Tier (>128K/200K) | Flat rate ($1/1M in) across full 128K window | Flat rate ($0.6/1M in) across full 128K window |
| Prompt Cache Policy & TTL | Cached input at $0.25/1M tokens | Cached input at $0.06/1M tokens |
| Computer Use / GUI Agent | API / CLI Tool-Use & DOM Agent ready (no raw pixel desktop click loop) | API / CLI Tool-Use & DOM Agent ready (no raw pixel desktop click loop) |
| MCP & Parallel Tool Calling | Native MCP Client/Server ready · Parallel function calling · 100% Strict JSON Schema | Native MCP Client/Server ready · Parallel function calling · 100% Strict JSON Schema |
| Web Search Grounding & Sandbox | Supported via external Tavily/Exa Search & E2B/Docker Sandbox tools | Supported via external Tavily/Exa Search & E2B/Docker Sandbox tools |
| Official Fine-Tuning Support | API Prompt Engineering & RAG Distillation | API Prompt Engineering & RAG Distillation |
| Multimodal Token Billing | Text BPE (~4 chars/token) | Text BPE (~4 chars/token) · Vision (~258–765 tokens per image tile) · Audio (~25–32 tokens/sec) |
| Quantization & Min GPU VRAM | Cloud-Hosted Proprietary (FP8 / BF16 Tensor Core Cluster) · Zero Local VRAM Required (100% Serverless Cloud API) | Cloud-Hosted Proprietary (FP8 / BF16 Tensor Core Cluster) · Zero Local VRAM Required (100% Serverless Cloud API) |
| Safety & Frontier Classification | Mistral AI Production Safety & Alignment Verified | Baidu Production Safety & Alignment Verified |
| Enterprise Compliance (ZDR/HIPAA/SOC2) | SOC2 Type II · GDPR · Zero Data Retention (ZDR) & HIPAA BAA Available on Enterprise Tier | SOC2 Type II · GDPR · Zero Data Retention (ZDR) & HIPAA BAA Available on Enterprise Tier |
| Input Modalities | text | text, vision, audio |
| Output Modalities | text | text |
Magistral Medium vs ERNIE 4.5: Quick Answers
Which is more intelligent, Magistral Medium or ERNIE 4.5?
ERNIE 4.5 is more intelligent. It scores 81 compared with 51 on the composite Intelligence Index.
Which model is faster?
ERNIE 4.5 is faster, generating 75 tokens per second compared with 50 tokens per second.
Which model is cheaper to run?
ERNIE 4.5 is cheaper at $0.40 per 1M tokens blended, compared with $0.72 (7:2:1 cache:input:output ratio).
Which model has lower latency?
ERNIE 4.5 has lower latency, with a time to first token of 0.51s compared with 0.85s.
Verdict
Verdict & Model Selection Recommendation: Choose Magistral Medium if your priority is Complex audit reports, legal clause contradiction analysis, and mathematical logic proofs. Its performance in demanding tasks justifies its operational token cost. Choose ERNIE 4.5 if your workflow prioritizes Chinese enterprise applications, local compliance and legal review, and multimodal knowledge search. For large-scale batch processing or customer-facing conversational interfaces, its balance of speed and economics delivers superior ROI.
Frequently asked questions
How does Magistral Medium compare to ERNIE 4.5 in API token pricing and cost per token?+
Magistral Medium costs $1.00 per 1M input tokens and $3.50 per 1M output tokens, whereas ERNIE 4.5 costs $0.60 input and $2.40 output. Overall, ERNIE 4.5 is the more cost-effective model for high-volume API pipelines. Both models support prompt caching discounts of up to 90% for repeated prompt prefixes.
Which model has a larger context window: Magistral Medium or ERNIE 4.5?+
Both Magistral Medium and ERNIE 4.5 offer an identical context window of 128K tokens (~96k words). Both architectures provide equal capacity for large document ingestion, multi-file codebases, and extended multi-turn conversation histories.
Which AI model is better for software engineering and coding: Magistral Medium or ERNIE 4.5?+
Magistral Medium scores 45.2% on SWE-bench Verified, while ERNIE 4.5 scores competitively for software generation. For complex autonomous debugging and agentic engineering, Magistral Medium provides robust code generation and tool calling.
What is the difference in reasoning capability and extended thinking between Magistral Medium and ERNIE 4.5?+
Magistral Medium features native chain-of-thought extended thinking mode with configurable reasoning effort. In contrast, ERNIE 4.5 provides chain-of-thought reasoning depth for complex math and science.
How does inference speed (tokens per second) compare between Magistral Medium and ERNIE 4.5?+
Magistral Medium generates approximately 50 tokens per second, while ERNIE 4.5 delivers 75 tokens per second. In latency-sensitive production environments, ERNIE 4.5 provides faster time-to-first-token (TTFT) and higher streaming response velocity.
Can you implement a tiered LLM routing setup combining Magistral Medium and ERNIE 4.5 to optimize costs?+
Yes! High-efficiency architectures route high-frequency routine classification and conversational tasks to ERNIE 4.5 to save operational costs, and dynamically escalate complex architectural queries or reasoning tasks to Magistral Medium. This tiered routing pattern cuts overall API bills by up to 70%.
Understand key metrics like context window, token pricing, reasoning mode, and SWE-bench scores in our comprehensive AI glossary.
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Benchmark scores, token prices, and rate limits evolve rapidly as AI labs release model updates. Always verify current specifications and pricing on the official provider documentation.
Sources: GetInfoUs Independent AI Benchmarks & Official API Specs