Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
IBM · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Granite 3.3 8B Base outperforms in 1 benchmarks (TriviaQA), while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) is better at 2 benchmarks (AGIEval, MMLU). Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Granite 3.3 8B Base
- you are already invested in the IBM ecosystem
Choose Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Granite 3.3 8B Base outperforms in 1 benchmarks (TriviaQA), while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) is better at 2 benchmarks (AGIEval, MMLU).
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Granite 3.3 8B Base has 5.2B more parameters than Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512), making it 172.3% larger.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Granite 3.3 8B Base and Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Granite 3.3 8B Base
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.
Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Granite 3.3 8B Base was released on 2025-04-16, while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) was released on 2025-12-04.
Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) is 8 months newer than Granite 3.3 8B Base.
Apr 16, 2025
1.4 years ago
Dec 4, 2025
8 months ago
7mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Granite 3.3 8B Base has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-04-01, while Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)'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 Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512)'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 Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512) side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Granite 3.3 8B Base vs Ministral 3 (3B Base 2512).