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Head-to-head comparison

Granite 4.0 Micro vs granite 4.2 3b

Granite 4.0 Micro (IBM Granite) 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 3 September 2026

As of 3 September 2026, granite 4.2 3b holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#178 vs #214).

Which should you choose?

Choose Granite 4.0 Micro 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 — #178 against #214 (18.5 vs 0.0 points).
  • AA Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 14.3 against 2.0.
  • AA Humanity's Last Exam is your yardstick — 6.6% against 5.0%.
  • you want the more recently listed model — granite 4.2 3b was listed 7 August 2026, Granite 4.0 Micro 20 October 2025.

Granite 4.0 Micro vs granite 4.2 3b: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Granite 4.0 Micro and granite 4.2 3b
FieldGranite 4.0 MicroIBM Granitegranite 4.2 3bIBM Granite
ModelCap Index position#214#178
Index score0.018.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.017Unlisted
Output price / 1M tokens$0.112Unlisted
Context window131K tokens131K tokens
Max output tokens118K—
API providers listed10
Weight accessOpen weightsOpen weights
Input modalitiesTextText
First listed20 October 20257 August 2026
PublisherIBM GraniteIBM Granite

Evidence: 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board · 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Granite 4.0 Micro vs granite 4.2 3b

Public benchmark boards where Granite 4.0 Micro or granite 4.2 3b has a published result
BoardGranite 4.0 Microgranite 4.2 3bLeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)—13801357–1402Only one result
AA Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis2.0intelligence-index14.3intelligence-indexgranite 4.2 3b
AA Terminal-Bench 2.1Artificial Analysis—13.9%terminal-bench-2.1Only one result
AA τ²-Bench TelecomArtificial Analysis12.6%tau2-bench-telecom—Only one result
AA Humanity's Last ExamArtificial Analysis5.0%humanitys-last-exam6.6%humanitys-last-examgranite 4.2 3b

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.

Granite 4.0 Micro vs granite 4.2 3b: common questions

Is Granite 4.0 Micro better than granite 4.2 3b?

granite 4.2 3b ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 3 September 2026: #178 against #214. 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.

Is Granite 4.0 Micro 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, Granite 4.0 Micro or granite 4.2 3b?

Both publish a 131K-token context window.

Which is better for coding, Granite 4.0 Micro or granite 4.2 3b?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Granite 4.0 Micro and granite 4.2 3b open-weight models?

Granite 4.0 Micro: Open weights. 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 Granite 4.0 Micro and granite 4.2 3b?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Granite 4.0 Micro 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 Granite 4.0 Micro vs granite 4.2 3b comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 3 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.

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