AI Lineup
Mistral
by Mistral AI (France)
A lightweight European model that handles writing and summarisation well, without the data concerns of US or Chinese alternatives.
FreeOpen SourceRuns LocallyChatbot
Last checked: 17 August 2026
The details
- Context Window
- Up to 128,000 tokens depending on the version used
- Cost
- Free to download. Also available as a hosted chatbot.
- Open Source?
- Yes — and it's a European company, so subject to EU data laws
- Input / Output
- TextImages in
Best for
- European data privacy needs
- Efficient local running
- Coding tasks
Kevin’s take
“A French company making excellent models. If you're in Europe or care about GDPR, this is worth your attention. Runs fast even on modest hardware.”
— Kevin, formerly of IT Support
Privacy snapshot
Use With CautionPrivacy risk: Medium
A European AI assistant (Le Chat) and model maker. Handles conversation, writing, summarising, and coding, with open models you can also run yourself.
See what Mistral does with your data →Knowing the tool is just the start.
We teach non-tech people how to actually use AI — what to ask, how to ask it, and what to do with the answers. Tutorials, prompts, plain English. All of it.
Show Me How This Works →Start free. Cancel anytime. No judgment, ever.