Gemma 2 9B vs Granite 3.3 8B Base
Gemma 2 9B and Granite 3.3 8B Base are closely matched at -4.9 and -0.5 on the LLM Stats Score.
Google · IBM · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemma 2 9B and Granite 3.3 8B Base are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at -4.9 and -0.5.
In the 8 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Gemma 2 9B wins 6; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemma 2 9B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 6 of 8 exact shared results
Choose Granite 3.3 8B Base
- your work emphasizes coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
16 reported for Gemma 2 9B · 20 for Granite 3.3 8B Base
Gemma 2 9B outperforms in 6 benchmarks (AGIEval, ARC-C, GSM8k, HellaSwag, MMLU, Winogrande), while Granite 3.3 8B Base is better at 2 benchmarks (HumanEval, TriviaQA).
Gemma 2 9B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Gemma 2 9B has 1.1B more parameters than Granite 3.3 8B Base, making it 13.1% larger.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Granite 3.3 8B Base supports multimodal inputs, whereas Gemma 2 9B does not.
Granite 3.3 8B Base can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Gemma 2 9B
Granite 3.3 8B Base
License
Usage and distribution terms
Gemma 2 9B is licensed under Gemma, while Granite 3.3 8B Base uses Apache 2.0.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Gemma
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Gemma 2 9B was released on 2024-06-27, while Granite 3.3 8B Base was released on 2025-04-16.
Granite 3.3 8B Base is 10 months newer than Gemma 2 9B.
Jun 27, 2024
2.2 years ago
Apr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
9mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Granite 3.3 8B Base has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-04-01, while Gemma 2 9B's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Granite 3.3 8B Base's training data extends to 2024-04-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Gemma 2 9B's cutoff date.
—
Apr 2024
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemma 2 9B and Granite 3.3 8B Base side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemma 2 9B vs Granite 3.3 8B Base.