Mistral Code
106 comments
·June 4, 2025speerer
behnamoh
This is why I don't like open sourcing my projects anymore. Someone else with more resources just forks it and makes profits, thinking that merely acknowledging me pays my bills.
For years, ollama didn't acknowledge llama.cpp and r/localllama found it weird until they finally mentioned llama.cpp on their page, but the damage is done: most apps that support local LLMs only support ollama or LM Studio API, not the original llama.cpp.
GuB-42
Choose your license well. If you are using a permissive licence (MIT, Apache, BSD, etc...) you are begging for it. If that's what you want (and it may be what you want), go for it, but don't expect it to pay the bills.
If you are using a copyleft license, especially AGPL, you may not get paid either, but you may get valuable contributions in return. It is also a good way to avoid having big companies profit from your work, if that's what you want.
If you want to make money but still want to open source, use a non-free "source available" licence (ex: "non-commercial"). They tend to be unpopular in the open source community and it is probably not the best way to get known.
And then you can have dual-licences, like GPL + commercial. Qt is probably the most popular software using that scheme.
But I don't really understand the people who publish software under a permissive licences and get forked by some tech giant and complain. That's what permissive licenses are for!
abnercoimbre
From the POV of an indie dev selling closed-source binaries, would a source-available license gain any goodwill in this space? And how would you tackle pricing?
overfeed
> But I don't really understand the people who publish software under a permissive licences and get forked by some tech giant and complain
They want to have their cake and eat it.
Aloisius
Licenses only work if it's copyrightable and weights, almost certainly, aren't.
The code would be, but I'm not sure that's much of a barrier.
freedomben
> This is why I don't like open sourcing my projects anymore. Someone else with more resources just forks it and makes profits, thinking that merely acknowledging me pays my bills.
Then I would submit that you are picking the wrong license. The whole point of the GPL/AGPL family of licenses is to ensure that they can't just do this. They will be required to publish their changes, which benefits the original project (you). It's not a perfect solution, but it helps a great deal. The answer to this problem is not to close up and/or go proprietary.
segmondy
then don't. the point of open source is not to earn money or profit. it's to have the software open so people can inspect it, be inspired by it, trust it, modify it without contacting you and possibly copy it. imagine sharing your idea with the world but not wanting anyone to implement or capitalize on it. it's an impossible ask.
i'm a bald head grey beard, at least in the 90's when we shared software it was for the reasons we outlined, there was no github stars, there was no trying to line a job. it was a true gift and pay it forward sort of thing to the world. it's been almost lost due to money, if you need to earn a living, start a business, get a job and make your open source project a hobby. don't mix them together.
behnamoh
> at least in the 90's when we shared software it was for the reasons we outlined...
With all due respect, that's not how most open source software is today [1]. A lot of CS students on the job market need Github stars or green tiles in case the employers check their page. So many open source projects are done only to boost resumes, not for the reasons you mentioned. Not to mention a lot of projects start as open source to lure users, only to become closed at some point (the notorious langchain is one example).
[1]: with the exception of some huge projects like ffmpeg, llama.cpp, etc.
novaleaf
The MPL 2.0 is a great compromise. it's basically as permissive as the MIT, but the source code must be made available.
https://www.tldrlegal.com/license/mozilla-public-license-2-0...
null
matthewmacleod
This is completely within your control:
- If your primary goal is to release open software that stays open, then release under a copyleft license (GPL)
- If your primary goal is to release software for no-strings-attached use (including incorporation into commercial services) then use a permissive license (MIT, BSD, etc.)
null
null
tensor
Interesting. So if you just configure continue with Mistral Medium 3 as the chat model and codestral as the autocomplete, you probably have exactly this. This is the setup I already use.
speerer
If that were the case, then the posted URL would be pure hype. I think it's more likely that they've developed something that is more bespoke than that. It's totally too hard to say though.
tensor
Knowing the enterprise space, my guess is that the only real changes are hardcoding continue to use only Mistral, and tying it into some sort of central enterprise licensing service. Holding back some novel models just for enterprise use seems unlikely, as does developing some novel agentic capabilities within Continue.
Enterprise deals are usually around compliance and security primarily. Companies want centralized billing and to be sure that their developers only use "sanctioned" AI and other tech.
Who knows though with that contact us sales wall.
killerstorm
The page suggests it's possible to fine-tune models on your code base
tensor
That's very possible. You can already do that via the platform api easily (just feeding it your github project), so a light UI around that api would be very easy.
ttoinou
Interesting, why do you use those models ? They feel inferior
tensor
Originally as an experiment in using non-US services, as my company is not a US company and the possibility of tariffs on digital services is not at all unrealistic. The exercise was really enlightening. Not to derail the conversation the TLDR was that in some areas it was easy to move off US services, while in others (github) there are almost no alternatives.
I do have access to US models via Kagi to play around with and use for things Mistral doesn't work on. I've been meaning to try command a too, but haven't gotten around to it. I will say that the new mistral medium model is surprisingly good, though I've only just started using it. Codestral is definitely behind other models.
helloplanets
Well that tidbit of information was definitely sweeped under the rug.
Strikes me as a weird combo to have a fork of a VS Code/JetBrains extension be a completely walled off enterprise only deal. Any other apps out there having success with this sort of model?
atonse
Same as others have said, with consumers wanting to try 20 different models all the time, you have to reduce the friction of trying out the model.
I hope this is just a huge mistake that they aren't allowing anyone to actually try it.
Word of mouth from HN and others (not just advertising a link or press release) is how I've started to use about pretty much every single AI feature I use.
Assuming this isn't a mistake, it says that this company has the wrong management/leadership structure if they think they can sell a brand new developer focused coding tool without letting actual developers try it. Maybe we don't know something?
whiplash451
Poolside does the same thing, though
rahimnathwani
Pricing is 'contact us'.
qwertox
How will companies engage with Mistral if their developers can't just install the thing and test it?
--
Here's a FAQ for Mistral Code: https://help.mistral.ai/en/collections/732571-mistral-code
For example: https://help.mistral.ai/en/articles/333875-do-i-need-an-acti...
> Do I need an active subscription to use Mistral Code?
> At the moment, Mistral Code is a premium feature only avaible to Enterprise customers.
> This means that to activate and use Mistral Code, your organization needs to have an active Enterprise agreement with Mistral AI that includes access to this tool.
> Individual users within such organizations can then log in on their own and use the extension autonomously, provided they've been attributed a Mistral Code seat by their organization's administrator (see How to manage Mistral Code seats for more details).
tormeh
Mistral lags behind on model quality. Seems like they want to focus more on customization and customer relations. If they had a leading model they'd probably have transparent pricing.
esafak
They could get away with 'contact us' if they were leaders. Maybe they're courting the EU-only segment.
tormeh
It's the other way around - everybody wants to create products with mass appeal and have low marginal costs and print money. The people who can't manage to do that go the consultancy route and add "contact us" under their pricing.
mwigdahl
I think the main differentiator here is the local installability and customizability. They're clearly targeting orgs that can't or won't use the actual cutting edge agentic models on the market for security or other reasons. Those places are going to need/want to work with a full enterprise sales pipeline, do the security reviews, BAAs, etc.
"Contact Us" is a dealbreaker for a lot of orgs, but for the ones that are the real intended customers here it's not a huge impediment.
kiratp
How do you launch a dev tool with a “contact us” call to action?
It’s like Mistral is choosing to fail here.
Edit: I can't even tell if its a CLI tool, an IDE plugin or a standalone IDE!
Edit 2: oh man! it's at the bottom of the page
Edit 3: "Mistral Code Enterprise is currently only available with an enterprise license." :D
efsavage
The higher up the food chain you can go the more effective this is. Someone who thinks that negotiating is part of their job and/or persona is more willing to call the place they think they can get a deal on rather than the fixed price offering.
Whether they're correct is a separate question, but it's an effective strategy if you're targeting that buyer.
bdcravens
Presumably their market is different than the typical developer or low-level manager armed with with a shadow IT company card.
closewith
I think unfortunately Enterprise Call Us sales tactics are actually extremely effective.
theyinwhy
Are they? I never look at such software again unless forced by my boss.
haswell
I worked for enterprise software companies for a number of years.
I’m not personally a fan of “call us” pricing, but it is indeed effective, and the companies that sell software this way do so because they prioritize establishing human relationships between a salesperson and the buyer.
In the long run, this leads to more sales/upsells.
Kiro
You're not the target audience.
aerhardt
I buy Enterprise software too and unless there is a good reason (there are no other alternatives, or I have complex requirements), I'll also quite often negatively factor being dropped into a sales funnel, with all it entails.
GuB-42
That's the idea, they are trying to have your boss force you to look at such software.
tootie
If you're buying actual business critical software, you always want a signed contract. Even if they have transparent pricing and a checkout form. Most of these services will reserve the right to terminate service if they detect any violation of terms. A signed contract usually precludes them from doing that.
almost
Yes, but how likely were you to spend tens of thousands of dollars or more on software?
fazkan
yup, got lost as well. Is it like a VS-code, continue alternative?
joshstrange
This is a little embarrassing and I'm a little shocked HN hasn't flagged it to death.
I seriously doubt Mistral was able to create something actually useful (or at least better than Aider/Claude Code/etc) and hiding behind enterprise sales is cowardly. Surely anyone with half a brain isn't going to roll the dice on something completely untested and coming from a company like Mistral. They have no track record in this area and their models aren't considered SOTA.
e-max
What are the alternatives? Let's say you're something like Deutsche Bank and you need an AI solution for your dev team that is fully compliant with EU privacy laws.
tensor
While enterprise stuff is dead on arrival, their models for OCR and niche languages are indeed SOTA. Also, their local/small models are likely SOTA too if you are running in a constrained environment.
mistrial9
> Surely anyone with half a brain isn't going to roll the dice
the evidence points to the empty half, then
mirekrusin
Do they know all this stuff (agentic coding, mcp integration etc) is available through zed + ollama for free?
hu3
Same for VSCode which is ubiquitous and offers free Github Copilot quotas with SoTA models, for 6 months now:
https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2024/12/18/free-github-c...
Mistral needs to realize they don't stand a chance against AI giants that are giving out stuff for free or nearly free.
mirekrusin
I think their selling point is self hosting - I mentioned ollama because you can self host it. You're right though that ie. copilot ie via vscode is something that most enterprises can do as they already have contracts with github/microsoft so they're fine with code flying there (because it's already there).
thedudeabides5
Is it open source?
Tired to fake open source companies pulling the rug once they generate goodwill.
coolgoose
Pricing is worse than contact us, it's contact us and tell us your company size and revenue wtf Mistral, I wanted to maybe pick this up, as we're an european company and I want an European ai company to succeed but this is ridiculous
conception
OpenAI will not sell you enterprise unless you can bring in a certain amount of money. Same for Anthropic. Demand is too high for small potatoes.
themanmaran
Yea but for Mistral it's not just the enterprise plan. It's all variants of the "Mistral Code". So pretty useless to launch on HN if the only CTA is booking a demo.
bdcravens
They aren't "launching" on HN. The user that shared this link is well known as a bulk submitter.
coolgoose
Yea but this little tator just wanted to use the coding agent, I don't expect enterprise features. Unfortunately there's no alternative to enterprise, so no way to support an European alternative :)
Keyframe
We ought all to write this down and remember it well when the tide changes.
dom96
There is so many of these at this point, is there a page anywhere that has a nice table comparing all of them with their features/pricing?
> Mistral Code Enterprise is a fork of Continue. All due credit to the original creators of Continue.
Source: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=mistrala...
Link destination: https://www.continue.dev/