In a bold move that’s shaking up the tech landscape, French AI startup Mistral has unveiled its groundbreaking audio model, Voxtral, which proudly asserts its status as open source.

Meet Voxtral: A New Era in AI Audio!

Voxtral marks Mistral's inaugural foray into audio models, positioning itself as a versatile B2B service that empowers developers with unparalleled control over deployment. This innovative model comes in two configurations: Voxtral Small and Voxtral Mini.

Voxtral Small vs. Voxtral Mini: Battle of the Models

For those considering their options, here’s the scoop: Voxtral Mini is the budget-friendly choice, while Voxtral Small slides into the premium league. Both variants boast impressive features such as a long-form context with a staggering 32,000-token capability and an integrated Q&A function, all while being natively multilingual.

Mistral Takes on the Giants!

But that’s not all—Mistral is setting its sights on the big players like Gemini 2.5 Flash. With the official announcement, Mistral showcased a comparison chart of Voxtral against Gemini and OpenAI tools, revealing their competitive edge.

The analysis indicates that while Voxtral Mini matches Gemini 2.5 Flash’s word error rate at a fraction of the cost, Voxtral Small surpasses Gemini in accuracy despite the higher price tag. This makes Voxtral not just an alternative, but a formidable contender in the AI arena.

Going Global with Multilingual Capability

One of Voxtral’s standout features is its multilingual capacity, supporting languages including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi, German, Dutch, and Italian. This positions Voxtral as an ideal solution for businesses operating on an international scale.

A Bright Future with Microsoft Support

With the AI hype train gaining momentum into 2025, Mistral is poised to be a key player among mid-range options. The support from Microsoft, having invested a substantial €15 million (approximately $16 million), hints at a promising collaboration as Mistral plans to bring Voxtral to Azure’s expansive cloud platform.

Affordable Access to Innovation

For developers eager to dive in, Voxtral’s pricing is remarkably accessible—starting at just $0.001 per minute for API calls. Plus, eager users can now download the free version directly from Hugging Face.

With Voxtral, Mistral isn’t just joining the race; they’re redefining the rules. Get ready to explore the potentials of audio AI!