# What is Mistral AI? > Mistral AI is a French AI company known for open-weight models and its Vibe assistant, formerly Le Chat. Plans, models and data stance as of October 2026. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/mistral-ai · Updated 2026-10-08 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [AI assistants](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary#topic-ai-assistants) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) Quick answer Mistral AI is a French AI company, founded in 2023, that makes both open-weight and commercial language models and a chat assistant called Vibe, which was named Le Chat until August 2026. It is Europe's best-known maker of large AI models. Last updated October 8, 2026 Updated October 8, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) ## Why it matters for a small business Mistral appeals to businesses that want a European vendor or the option to run models themselves. As of October 2026, its pricing page lists **Free**, **Pro** at $14.99 a month, **Team** at $24.99 per user a month and **Enterprise** at custom pricing. In October 2026 it announced **Mistral Large 4**, saying the weights will be published, and it releases smaller models such as Mistral Small 4 under the permissive Apache 2.0 license. Who it suits: European firms that care where their AI vendor is based, developers who want strong [open-weight models](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/open-weight-model), and teams that want a lower-cost team plan. On data, Mistral's help center says chats on the standard assistant are used for training by default with an opt-out toggle, that Enterprise is opted out by default, and that zero data retention is available on request. If you use a personal account for work, turn the training setting off first. ## In a real lesson: n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets Stepthrough has no Mistral lesson. The [AI Social Media Idea Agent lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets) shows where Mistral would fit: the agent's **Chat Model** slot, where the lesson connects OpenAI with an API key. n8n offers a Mistral chat model node too, so the same agent, with the same BrightPath Marketing system prompt and Google Sheets tool, could run on a Mistral model. Swapping models in one slot and testing the output is the fair way to compare vendors. [Try this lesson free](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/n8n-ai-agent) or [read the step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets). ## Common confusions ### Mistral AI vs Vibe Mistral AI is the company. Vibe is its assistant app, still at chat.mistral.ai, and was called Le Chat until August 2026. ### Open-weight vs commercial Mistral models Some Mistral models can be downloaded and run anywhere; others are only available through Mistral's API or apps. Check the license on each model. ## Tips - Turn off the training toggle before using a personal Vibe account for work. - Compare a Mistral model against your current one on the same task before switching. ## Related terms [Open-weight model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/open-weight-model) · [Llama](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/llama) · [DeepSeek](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/deepseek) · [Zero data retention](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/zero-data-retention) · [Frontier model](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/frontier-model) · [Self-hosting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/self-hosting) ## More AI assistants terms [NotebookLM](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/notebooklm) · [OpenAI](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/openai) · [OpenAI API](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/openai-api) · [Perplexity](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/perplexity) ## Where you use it: free lessons - [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets) (n8n, 12 min) ## More free tutorials [n8n tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/tool/n8n) ## Frequently asked questions **Is Le Chat the same as Vibe?** Yes. Mistral renamed Le Chat to Vibe in August 2026, adding Work, Code and Chat modes. The web address is still chat.mistral.ai. **Is Mistral AI open source?** Partly. Many Mistral models are released with open weights, several under Apache 2.0, while others are commercial. Each model page lists its license. **How do I try Mistral?** Sign up for the free plan at chat.mistral.ai or in the mobile app. Developers can get an API key from Mistral's platform and pay by tokens. [All AI glossary terms, A to Z](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) · [Free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts)