Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Grok-1.5
Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok-1.5 are closely matched at -0.3 and -2.5 on the LLM Stats Score.
IBM · xAI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok-1.5 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at -0.3 and -2.5.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-1.5 wins 2; 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 Granite 3.3 8B Base
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Apr 2025
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Grok-1.5
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
20 reported for Granite 3.3 8B Base · 9 for Grok-1.5
Granite 3.3 8B Base outperforms in 1 benchmarks (HumanEval), while Grok-1.5 is better at 2 benchmarks (GSM8k, MMLU).
Grok-1.5 shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Granite 3.3 8B Base supports multimodal inputs, whereas Grok-1.5 does not.
Granite 3.3 8B Base can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Granite 3.3 8B Base
Grok-1.5
License
Usage and distribution terms
Granite 3.3 8B Base is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Grok-1.5 uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Granite 3.3 8B Base was released on 2025-04-16, while Grok-1.5 was released on 2024-03-28.
Granite 3.3 8B Base is 13 months newer than Grok-1.5.
Apr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
1.1yr newerMar 28, 2024
2.4 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Granite 3.3 8B Base has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-04-01, while Grok-1.5'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 Grok-1.5's cutoff date.
Apr 2024
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Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok-1.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Grok-1.5.