Granite 4.2 3B vs Grok 4.3
At a Glance
| Compare | Grok 4.3xAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence, Cost, and Efficiency | ||
| IntelligenceHigher is better · MM Intelligence v2.5 | UnrankedNot in the 46-model eligible cohort | #40 of 4616.6 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 11.1–44.4 |
| CostLower is better · Published-token output estimate | UnrankedNot in the 44-model eligible cohort | #7 of 44$0.028 per LiveBench case |
| EfficiencyHigher is better · MM Efficiency v1.5 | UnrankedNot in the 38-model eligible cohort | #33 of 3846.0 score · 2/3 sources · provisional · missing ARC-AGI-2 · full-core range 43.3–59.9 |
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.030Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $1.25Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.12Deepinfra ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $2.50Xai ↗ · Sep 3, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | 131K | 1,000K |
| Model facts checked | Sep 2, 2026View model evidence → | Sep 3, 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
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 3B | Grok 4.3 |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text Arenatext-2026-09-13-d25aabda0010 · arena_rating · leader | 1,297.4993% of row best · rating · granite-4.2-3b; 95% CI [1285.72127313, 1309.24903304]; votes 3072; rank 238 | 1,397.73100% of row best · rating · grok-4.3; 95% CI [1394.01930088, 1401.44639527]; votes 66801; rank 145 |
| Overall ResultCounted from the protocol-matched rows above | 0 benchmark winsNo overall winner | 1 benchmark winNo overall winner |
Third-party benchmark Only like-for-like primary-publisher results are shown; raw scores, relative scores, configuration, and token spend remain visible.
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Granite 4.2 3B | Grok 4.3 |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | IBM | xAI |
| Family | Granite 4 2 | Grok 4 |
| Model | Granite 4.2 3B | Grok 4.3 |
| Version | Granite 4.2 3B | Grok 4.3 |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-08-25 | 2026-06-17 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text | Text, Image |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | 131K | 1,000K |
| Total parameters | 3.7B | Unknown |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | apache-2.0 | Unknown |
| Open weights | Yes | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Provider access | Deepinfra (Standard) | Xai (Standard) |
| Capabilities | chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools | chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools |
Granite 4.2 3B Capabilities
Grok 4.3 Capabilities
Related Comparisons
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|---|---|---|---|
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Claude Fable 5.1Anthropic | vs | cross-developer peerstext | |
 Gemini 3.1 ProGoogle DeepMind | vs | cross-developer peerstext | |
 DeepSeek-V4.1-FlashDeepSeek | vs | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs | Grok 4.6xAI | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs |  Qwen3.8-MaxQwen | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs |  Kimi-K3Moonshot AI | cross-developer peerstext | |
 MiniMax-M3MiniMax | vs | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs |  GLM-5.3Z.ai | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs |  Hy4 previewTencent | cross-developer peerstext | |
Seed 2.1 ProByteDance Seed | vs | cross-developer peerstext | |
| vs |  Mistral Large 3Mistral AI | cross-developer peerstext |
Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Granite 4.2 3B vs Grok 4.3 FAQs
Is Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3 better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Granite 4.2 3B and Grok 4.3, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
Granite 4.2 3B is $0.030 and Grok 4.3 is $1.25 per million tokens, so Granite 4.2 3B is cheaper on this metric. Granite 4.2 3B is $0.12 and Grok 4.3 is $2.50 per million tokens, so Granite 4.2 3B is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
Grok 4.3 has the larger sourced context window. Granite 4.2 3B supports 131K and Grok 4.3 supports 1,000K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
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 Grok 4.3 be self-hosted?+
Granite 4.2 3B is the only model in this pair currently marked as self-hostable. Granite 4.2 3B is open weight; Grok 4.3 is not marked open weight.
Can Granite 4.2 3B and Grok 4.3 understand images?+
Granite 4.2 3B is not documented with image input; Grok 4.3 is documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Granite 4.2 3B is — and Grok 4.3 is —.
Do Granite 4.2 3B and Grok 4.3 support reasoning and tool use?+
Granite 4.2 3B: reasoning and tool calling. Grok 4.3: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
Granite 4.2 3B has 1 sourced provider route; Grok 4.3 has 1, a tie.
Which offers better value, Granite 4.2 3B or Grok 4.3?+
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.