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Head-to-head comparison

Granite 4.1 8B vs MiniMax-01

Granite 4.1 8B (IBM Granite) and MiniMax-01 (MiniMax) 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 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Granite 4.1 8B holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#187 vs #189); Granite 4.1 8B is 11× cheaper per output token ($0.10/1M vs $1.10/1M); MiniMax-01 offers the longer context window (1M vs 131K tokens); and Granite 4.1 8B ships open weights.

Which should you choose?

Choose Granite 4.1 8B if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #187 against #189 (15.1 vs 13.8 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.10/1M output tokens against $1.10/1M, about 11× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.05/1M against $0.20/1M.
  • you want to self-host: Granite 4.1 8B ships open weights while MiniMax-01 is license unverified.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Granite 4.1 8B was listed 30 April 2026, MiniMax-01 15 January 2025.

Choose MiniMax-01 if…

  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 131K.

Granite 4.1 8B vs MiniMax-01: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Granite 4.1 8B and MiniMax-01
FieldGranite 4.1 8BIBM GraniteMiniMax-01MiniMax
ModelCap Index position#187#189
Index score15.113.8
EvidenceMeasuredEstimated
Input price / 1M tokens$0.05$0.20
Output price / 1M tokens$0.10$1.10
Context window131K tokens1M tokens
Max output tokens131K1M
API providers listed11
Weight accessOpen weightsLicense unverified
Input modalitiesTextText, Image
First listed30 April 202615 January 2025
PublisherIBM GraniteMiniMax

Evidence: 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards · start rank interpolated from the launch card's own comparison table against resolved catalogue peers, discounted for measured cross-lab optimism. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Granite 4.1 8B vs MiniMax-01

Public benchmark boards where Granite 4.1 8B or MiniMax-01 has a published result
BoardGranite 4.1 8BMiniMax-01Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13531333–1373—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis6.4intelligence-index—Only 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.

Granite 4.1 8B vs MiniMax-01: common questions

Is Granite 4.1 8B better than MiniMax-01?

Granite 4.1 8B ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #187 against #189. 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 4.1 8B cheaper than MiniMax-01?

Granite 4.1 8B is cheaper on output tokens: $0.10/1M against $1.10/1M. Input tokens are $0.05/1M for Granite 4.1 8B and $0.20/1M for MiniMax-01. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.1 8B or MiniMax-01?

MiniMax-01 has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 131K.

Which is better for coding, Granite 4.1 8B or MiniMax-01?

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 4.1 8B and MiniMax-01 open-weight models?

Granite 4.1 8B: Open weights. MiniMax-01: License unverified. 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 4.1 8B and MiniMax-01?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Granite 4.1 8B and 1 for MiniMax-01, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Granite 4.1 8B vs MiniMax-01 comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 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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