Ministral 3 14B
Ministral 3 14B is a small Mistral AI model with image input under the Apache 2.0 licence. Quantised it needs under 10 GB and runs on laptops and small computers, even without internet access. There are no independent scores from LMArena or Epoch yet; EuroEval places it mid-field in its German comparison.
Profile
- Maker
- Mistral AI · France
- Licence
- Free for commercial use
- Runs on
- Laptop with 16 GB
- Memory at 4 bits
- 9 GB
- Memory at 8 bits
- 14 GB
- Parameters
- 13.9bn
- Context
- 100,000 tokens
- Inputs
- text, image
- Released
- December 2025
Scores
- EuroEval
- German: rank 37 of 140
Scores: LMArena, Epoch AI, EuroEval, Hugging Face, models.dev; as of 19 October 2026. Sources and method →
Use cases
Where the model makes sense.
Assistant on every work laptop
- Situation
- Staff want to summarise emails and write drafts, but a central server is not worth it yet.
- What it looks like
- The model runs locally on the laptop, for example with LM Studio. Everyone uses their own copy and nothing leaves the device.
- What to watch
- Keep versions consistent so everyone works with the same model and results are comparable.
AI at the machine without internet
- Situation
- In production, computers at machines may not connect to the internet for security reasons.
- What it looks like
- The model runs on the machine PC and explains fault messages using the operating manual stored beforehand.
- What to watch
- For safety-relevant instructions the maker’s manual always applies, not the summary.
Pre-sorting for a larger model
- Situation
- Many requests are simple; a few need a large model or a person.
- What it looks like
- Ministral pre-sorts: it answers simple questions itself and forwards difficult ones to a larger model or the team.
- What to watch
- Test the routing rules on real examples before going live.
Reading labels and notices
- Situation
- In the warehouse, details from labels and notices should be captured quickly.
- What it looks like
- Take a photo with a tablet; the model returns item number, quantity and date as text.
- What to watch
- For barcodes and QR codes a classic scanner is more reliable than a language model.
The use cases were written with AI assistance (Claude by Anthropic) and reviewed by vona. Scores come unchanged from the sources listed.
When another model fits better
For demanding German texts and analysis, Mistral Small 3.2 is a better fit once a computer with 32 GB is available.
How to start
ollama run ministral-3:14bWith Ollama or LM Studio. On laptops with 16 GB the 4-bit version is right; the smaller Ministral 3 8B is even more frugal.
Suitable interfaces and programs from our directory: Ollama, LM Studio
Licence: Free for commercial use
The licence allows commercial use, modification and redistribution; the main obligation is to keep the licence notice.
Hugging Face ↗Similar models
Comparable models.
Mistral AI · France
Ministral 3 8B
An even smaller version of Ministral 3 with image input that gets by with 16 GB of memory.
Free for commercial use · Runs on: Laptop with 16 GB
In the overview →Mistral AI · France
Mistral Small 3.2
Compact Mistral AI model under the Apache 2.0 licence that runs on a computer with 32 GB. It ranks near the top of EuroEval's German comparison.
Free for commercial use · Runs on: Computer with 32 GB
Use cases and details →Google · United States
Gemma 4 E4B
Small Gemma model for laptops and high-end phones that accepts text, images and audio.
Free for commercial use · Runs on: Laptop with 16 GB
Use cases and details →
FAQ
What hardware do I need for Ministral 3 14B?
In the common 4-bit version, Ministral 3 14B needs about 9 GB of memory including headroom for context and runtime. That fits: Laptop with 16 GB. The more accurate 8-bit version needs about 14 GB. Long documents increase the requirement.
May I use Ministral 3 14B commercially?
The licence allows commercial use, modification and redistribution; the main obligation is to keep the licence notice.
How good is Ministral 3 14B in German?
In EuroEval’s German comparison, Ministral 3 14B ranks 37 of 140. There are no human ratings in German on LMArena yet; test it with your own examples.
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