Skip to content
ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Gemma 3 4B vs granite 4.2 3b

Gemma 3 4B (Google) and granite 4.2 3b (IBM Granite) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 15 September 2026

As of 15 September 2026, granite 4.2 3b holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#164 vs #177); and granite 4.2 3b ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Gemma 3 4B if…

  • you want provider choice — 1 listed API providers against 0.

Choose granite 4.2 3b if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #164 against #177 (25.1 vs 19.6 points).
  • you want to self-host: granite 4.2 3b ships open weights while Gemma 3 4B is gated access.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1378 against 1274.
  • you want the more recently listed model — granite 4.2 3b was listed 7 August 2026, Gemma 3 4B 13 March 2025.

Gemma 3 4B vs granite 4.2 3b: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Gemma 3 4B and granite 4.2 3b
FieldGemma 3 4BGooglegranite 4.2 3bIBM Granite
ModelCap Index position#177#164
Index score19.625.1
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05Unlisted
Output price / 1M tokens$0.10Unlisted
Context window131K tokens131K tokens
Max output tokens16K—
API providers listed10
Weight accessGated accessOpen weights
Input modalitiesText, ImageText
First listed13 March 20257 August 2026
PublisherGoogleIBM Granite

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Gemma 3 4B vs granite 4.2 3b

Public benchmark boards where Gemma 3 4B or granite 4.2 3b has a published result
BoardGemma 3 4Bgranite 4.2 3bLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)12741250–129713781356–1401granite 4.2 3b
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)19.6Prompt—Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis—9.1intelligence-index:v4.3:reasoning-unspecifiedOnly one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis—6.6%hle:may-2025:text-only-2158:no-tools:pass-at-1:source-model="Granite 4.2 3B":reasoning=trueOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Gemma 3 4B vs granite 4.2 3b: common questions

Is Gemma 3 4B better than granite 4.2 3b?

granite 4.2 3b ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 15 September 2026: #164 against #177. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals overlap, so the rank difference alone does not establish a reliable capability advantage for your workload.

Is Gemma 3 4B cheaper than granite 4.2 3b?

At least one of the two has no listed API price on ModelCap right now, so no price comparison is made.

Which has the bigger context window, Gemma 3 4B or granite 4.2 3b?

Both publish a 131K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Gemma 3 4B or granite 4.2 3b?

Arena coding: Gemma 3 4B 1274, granite 4.2 3b 1378 — granite 4.2 3b leads.

Are Gemma 3 4B and granite 4.2 3b open-weight models?

Gemma 3 4B: Gated access. granite 4.2 3b: Open weights. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Gemma 3 4B and granite 4.2 3b?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Gemma 3 4B and 0 for granite 4.2 3b, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Gemma 3 4B vs granite 4.2 3b comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 15 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

Explore further