Model Comparison

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview vs Phi 4 Reasoning PlusWhich is better in 2026?

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview vs Phi 4 Reasoning Plus — which is better?

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview (by IBM) and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus (by Microsoft) 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.

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Reasoning Plus is better at 3 benchmarks (Arena Hard, HumanEval+, IFEval). Phi 4 Reasoning Plus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Choose IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025

Choose Phi 4 Reasoning Plus if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 3 of 3 shared benchmarks

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Phi 4 Reasoning Plus is better at 3 benchmarks (Arena Hard, HumanEval+, IFEval).

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Jul 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

7.0B diff

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus has 7.0B more parameters than IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview, making it 100.0% larger.

IBM
IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview
7.0Bparameters
Microsoft
Phi 4 Reasoning Plus
14.0Bparameters
7.0B
IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview
14.0B
Phi 4 Reasoning Plus

License

Usage and distribution terms

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Phi 4 Reasoning Plus uses MIT.

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

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus

MIT

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview was released on 2025-05-02, while Phi 4 Reasoning Plus was released on 2025-04-30.

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview is 0 month newer than Phi 4 Reasoning Plus.

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview

May 2, 2025

1.2 years ago

2d newer
Phi 4 Reasoning Plus

Apr 30, 2025

1.2 years ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2025-03-01, while IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Phi 4 Reasoning Plus's training data extends to 2025-03-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview's cutoff date.

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview

—

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus

Mar 2025

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

IBM

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Microsoft
Higher Arena Hard score (79.0% vs 26.7%)
Higher HumanEval+ score (92.3% vs 78.3%)
Higher IFEval score (84.9% vs 63.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview
✓ Preferred
Phi 4 Reasoning Plus
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
IBM
IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview
Microsoft
Phi 4 Reasoning Plus

FAQ

Common questions about IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview vs Phi 4 Reasoning Plus.

Which is better, IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview or Phi 4 Reasoning Plus?

Phi 4 Reasoning Plus significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview is made by IBM and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus is made by Microsoft. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview compare to Phi 4 Reasoning Plus in benchmarks?

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview scores AttaQ: 86.1%, HumanEval: 82.4%, HumanEval+: 78.3%, GSM8k: 70.1%, IFEval: 63.0%. Phi 4 Reasoning Plus scores FlenQA: 97.9%, HumanEval+: 92.3%, IFEval: 84.9%, OmniMath: 81.9%, AIME 2024: 81.3%.

What are the main differences between IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus?

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

Who makes IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus?

IBM Granite 4.0 Tiny Preview is developed by IBM and Phi 4 Reasoning Plus is developed by Microsoft.

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