Mistral OCR 3 promises better, cheaper document analysis

Mistral AI has released Mistral OCR 3, an updated version of its document analysis model. The system goes beyond basic extraction—it can interpret cursive handwriting, dense form layouts, and complex table structures, including linked cells. According to the company, this third version outperforms its predecessor in 74 percent of cases, showing particular strength in handling handwriting, scanned forms, and complex tables. OCR 3 also stacks up well against Deepseek's specialized character recognition model.

The model is available through an API or the Document AI platform introduced in May. Pricing sits at two dollars per 1,000 pages, with discounts available for bulk orders. The French company—which recently secured a large investment from chip manufacturer ASML—is using this release to solidify its position in document recognition, even as its current generation of open-weight language models trails behind commercial competitors from the US.