Granite 4.2 3B vs Granite Guardian 4.1 8B
At a Glance
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.030Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 21, 2026 | Not reported |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.12Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 21, 2026 | Not reported |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 131K | 131K |
| Model facts checked | Sep 2, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 28, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Granite 4.2 3B | granite-guardian-4.1-8b |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | IBM | IBM |
| Family | Granite 4 2 | Granite Guardian 4 1 8b |
| Model | Granite 4.2 3B | granite-guardian-4.1-8b |
| Version | Granite 4.2 3B | granite-guardian-4.1-8b |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-08-25 | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 131K | 131K |
| Total parameters | 3.7B | 8.4B |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | apache-2.0 | apache-2.0 |
| Open weights | Yes | Yes |
| API available | Yes | Unknown |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard) | Unknown |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools | chat, generation, tools |
Granite 4.2 3B Capabilities
Granite Guardian 4.1 8B Capabilities
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Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Granite 4.2 3B vs Granite Guardian 4.1 8B FAQs
Is Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Granite 4.2 3B and Granite Guardian 4.1 8B, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
Only Granite 4.2 3B has a directly sourced input price: $0.030 per million tokens. Only Granite 4.2 3B has a directly sourced output price: $0.12 per million tokens.
Which has a larger context window, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
Neither model has a larger sourced context window in this comparison. Granite 4.2 3B is 131K and Granite Guardian 4.1 8B is 131K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: supported. Granite 4.2 3B is open weight; Granite Guardian 4.1 8B is open weight.
Can Granite 4.2 3B and Granite Guardian 4.1 8B understand images?+
Granite 4.2 3B is not documented with image input; Granite Guardian 4.1 8B is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Granite 4.2 3B is — and Granite Guardian 4.1 8B is —.
Do Granite 4.2 3B and Granite Guardian 4.1 8B support reasoning and tool use?+
Granite 4.2 3B: reasoning and tool calling. Granite Guardian 4.1 8B: tool calling. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
Granite 4.2 3B has 1 sourced provider route; Granite Guardian 4.1 8B has 0, so Granite 4.2 3B has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, Granite 4.2 3B or Granite Guardian 4.1 8B?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.