Le Chat (Mistral)Free plan
Paid from
$14.99 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Le Chat (Mistral) vs LongCat:
which should you use?
Le Chat (Mistral) and LongCat, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
Le Chat (Mistral) european data residency and open weights.
LongCat meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
LongCatFree plan
Pricing
No verified ladder yet
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | Le Chat (Mistral) | LongCat | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | European data residency and open weights. The default if EU hosting is a hard requirement. | Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free tier, with $10 a month of API credits | Yes. Free to use at longcat.chat | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $14.99 a month. | No paid tier — it is free. | LongCat |
| What the paid tiers cost |
| No paid tier — it is free. | Tie |
| What to watch out for | Smaller ecosystem and fewer integrations than the US majors. Every plan bundles a monthly allowance of API credits — $10 free, $30 on Pro, $15 on Education — and API use beyond it is priced per token on the API tab of the same page. | Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | working professionals, developers | people exploring | Tie |
| Runs on your own machine | Can be run on your own machine, so the material never leaves it. | Hosted service only — your material goes to their servers. | Le Chat (Mistral) |
| Made by | Mistral AI — Paris, FR. | Meituan LongCat — Beijing, CN. | Tie |
Neither leads on the 8 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table.
Le Chat (Mistral) or LongCat
Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.
✓ European data residency and open weights.
✓ The material cannot leave your own machine
✓ You are among working professionals or developers
✓ The default if EU hosting is a hard requirement.
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
LongCat is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ European data residency and open weights.
✓ The material cannot leave your own machine
✓ You are among working professionals or developers
✓ The default if EU hosting is a hard requirement.
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | LongCat | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
| Runs on your own machine | Le Chat (Mistral) | How well it does the job | From this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed |
The prices
Le Chat (Mistral). Read by hand off mistral.ai on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. mistral.ai/pricing
LongCat. Read by hand off longcat.chat on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. longcat.chat
The ratings
The category these two share. General-Purpose AI Assistants — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Good fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Limited fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Good fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Limited fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Limited fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Bad fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Bad fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Bad fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Limited fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Le Chat (Mistral)
Limited fitLongCat
Bad fitBest choice: Le Chat (Mistral)
European data residency and open weights.
by Mistral AIEuropean data residency and open weights.
The material cannot leave your own machine
You are among working professionals or developers
The default if EU hosting is a hard requirement.
Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
by Meituan LongCatMeituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
You are among people exploring
Free to use at longcat.chat
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Le Chat (Mistral)by Mistral AI
LongCatby Meituan LongCat
Free version
Le Chat (Mistral)
Yes — Free plan availableWith $10 a month of API credits
LongCat
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use at longcat.chat
Individual plans
Le Chat (Mistral)
Pro
$14.99 / monthor $30 / month
LongCatFree plan only
Business plans
Le Chat (Mistral)
From $24.99 / user / monthTeam
LongCatNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Le Chat (Mistral)
Custom pricing
LongCatNot published
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover general-purpose ai assistants at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on.
8 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Le Chat (Mistral) or LongCat better?
Neither leads on the 8 rows above: 1 each. The job decides it, not the table. both have a free plan you can start on. Le Chat (Mistral): European data residency and open weights. The default if EU hosting is a hard requirement. LongCat: Meituan’s free chat on its own LongCat models, with Think, Search, Image, Video and Deep Research modes.
Is Le Chat (Mistral) or LongCat cheaper?
Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.
Do Le Chat (Mistral) and LongCat both have free plans?
Yes. Le Chat (Mistral): Free tier, with $10 a month of API credits. LongCat: Free to use at longcat.chat.
What should I watch out for?
Le Chat (Mistral): Smaller ecosystem and fewer integrations than the US majors. Every plan bundles a monthly allowance of API credits — $10 free, $30 on Pro, $15 on Education — and API use beyond it is priced per token on the API tab of the same page. LongCat: Built for China first: the service runs from mainland China, data collected there is stored there, and its terms forbid commercial use of what it produces without Meituan’s permission.
Read more
Le Chat (Mistral)
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
LongCat
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.