Model Comparison

Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Grok 4.5Which is better in 2026?

Comparing Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Grok 4.5 — which is better?

Granite 3.3 8B Base (by IBM) and Grok 4.5 (by xAI) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

Choose Granite 3.3 8B Base if…

  • you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune

Choose Grok 4.5 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Grok 4.5 specifies input context (500,000 tokens).

IBM
Granite 3.3 8B Base
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
xAI
Grok 4.5
Input500,000 tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5 support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Granite 3.3 8B Base

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Grok 4.5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Granite 3.3 8B Base is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Grok 4.5 uses a proprietary license.

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

Granite 3.3 8B Base

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Grok 4.5

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Granite 3.3 8B Base was released on 2025-04-16, while Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16.

Grok 4.5 is 15 months newer than Granite 3.3 8B Base.

Granite 3.3 8B Base

Apr 16, 2025

1.3 years ago

Grok 4.5

Jul 16, 2026

4 days ago

1.2yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Granite 3.3 8B Base has a knowledge cutoff of 2024-04-01, while Grok 4.5 has a cutoff of 2026-02-01.

Grok 4.5 has more recent training data (up to 2026-02-01), making it potentially better informed about events through that date compared to Granite 3.3 8B Base (2024-04-01).

Granite 3.3 8B Base

Apr 2024

Grok 4.5

Feb 2026

1.8 yr newer

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

IBM
Has open weights
xAI
Larger context window (500,000 tokens)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Granite 3.3 8B Base
✓ Preferred
Grok 4.5
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
IBM
Granite 3.3 8B Base
xAI
Grok 4.5

FAQ

Common questions about Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Grok 4.5.

Which is better, Granite 3.3 8B Base or Grok 4.5?

Granite 3.3 8B Base (IBM) and Grok 4.5 (xAI) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Granite 3.3 8B Base compare to Grok 4.5 in benchmarks?

Granite 3.3 8B Base scores HumanEval: 89.7%, AttaQ: 88.5%, HumanEval+: 86.1%, AIME 2024: 81.2%, HellaSwag: 80.1%. Grok 4.5 scores GPQA: 93.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 83.3%, Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index v1.1: 76.0%, SWE-Bench Pro: 64.7%, AA-Omniscience Index: 63.0%.

What are the context window sizes for Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5?

Granite 3.3 8B Base supports an unknown number of tokens and Grok 4.5 supports 500K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5?

Key differences include licensing (Apache 2.0 vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Granite 3.3 8B Base and Grok 4.5?

Granite 3.3 8B Base is developed by IBM and Grok 4.5 is developed by xAI.

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