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GPT-4o mini vs IBM Granite 4.2 3B

IBM Granite 4.2 3B leads the LLM Stats Score 15.6 to 3.9.

OpenAI · IBM · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

IBM Granite 4.2 3B leads the overall LLM Stats Score 15.6 to 3.9, ranking #213 overall.

In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, IBM Granite 4.2 3B wins 1; 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 GPT-4o mini

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.60/M output

Choose IBM Granite 4.2 3B

  • overall performance matters — it scores 15.6 and ranks #213 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Core performance indexes
3.9
#290
15.6
#213
4.3
#281
12.0
#234
-0.4
#231
-6.7
#247
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
0 of 1
1 of 1
Input price
$0.15 / M
— / M
Output price
$0.60 / M
— / M
Context window
128,000

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

1 shared
Index
GPT-4o mini
IBM Granite 4.2 3B
11.8#232
13.7#216
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

9 reported for GPT-4o mini · 13 for IBM Granite 4.2 3B

1 shared

GPT-4o mini outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while IBM Granite 4.2 3B is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).

IBM Granite 4.2 3B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Mon Aug 31 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only GPT-4o mini specifies input context (128,000 tokens). Only GPT-4o mini specifies output context (16,384 tokens).

OpenAI
GPT-4o mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output16,384 tokens
IBM
IBM Granite 4.2 3B
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Mon Aug 31 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input capabilities

Documented input modalities across available providers

GPT-4o mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas IBM Granite 4.2 3B does not.

GPT-4o mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.

GPT-4o mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

IBM Granite 4.2 3B

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

GPT-4o mini is licensed under a proprietary license, while IBM Granite 4.2 3B uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

GPT-4o mini

Proprietary

Closed source

IBM Granite 4.2 3B

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-4o mini was released on 2024-07-18, while IBM Granite 4.2 3B was released on 2026-08-25.

IBM Granite 4.2 3B is 26 months newer than GPT-4o mini.

GPT-4o mini

Jul 18, 2024

2.1 years ago

IBM Granite 4.2 3B

Aug 25, 2026

5 days ago

2.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

GPT-4o mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-10-01, while IBM Granite 4.2 3B's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm GPT-4o mini's training data extends to 2023-10-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without IBM Granite 4.2 3B's cutoff date.

GPT-4o mini

Oct 2023

IBM Granite 4.2 3B

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against GPT-4o mini and IBM Granite 4.2 3B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

GPT-4o mini
✓ Preferred
IBM Granite 4.2 3B
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about GPT-4o mini vs IBM Granite 4.2 3B.

Which is better, GPT-4o mini or IBM Granite 4.2 3B?

IBM Granite 4.2 3B leads the LLM Stats Score 15.6 to 3.9. GPT-4o mini is made by OpenAI and IBM Granite 4.2 3B is made by IBM. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does GPT-4o mini compare to IBM Granite 4.2 3B in benchmarks?

GPT-4o mini scores HumanEval: 87.2%, MGSM: 87.0%, MMLU: 82.0%, DROP: 79.7%, MATH: 70.2%. IBM Granite 4.2 3B scores AIME 2025: 78.3%, IFBench: 74.3%, LiveCodeBench v6: 69.7%, MMLU-Pro: 67.8%, RULER 64k: 67.5%.

What are the context window sizes for GPT-4o mini and IBM Granite 4.2 3B?

GPT-4o mini supports 128K tokens and IBM Granite 4.2 3B supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between GPT-4o mini and IBM Granite 4.2 3B?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (3.9 vs 15.6), multimodal support (yes vs no), licensing (Proprietary vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes GPT-4o mini and IBM Granite 4.2 3B?

GPT-4o mini is developed by OpenAI and IBM Granite 4.2 3B is developed by IBM.