IBM Granite 4.2 30B vs Hermes 3 70B
IBM Granite 4.2 30B leads the LLM Stats Score 24.0 to 3.9.
IBM · Nous Research · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
IBM Granite 4.2 30B leads the overall LLM Stats Score 24.0 to 3.9, ranking #156 overall.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, IBM Granite 4.2 30B 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 IBM Granite 4.2 30B
- overall performance matters — it scores 24.0 and ranks #156 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 3 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose Hermes 3 70B
- you want predictable pricing at $0.35/M input and $1.40/M output
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
18 reported for IBM Granite 4.2 30B · 17 for Hermes 3 70B
IBM Granite 4.2 30B outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU-Pro), while Hermes 3 70B is better at 1 benchmark (IFBench).
IBM Granite 4.2 30B shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
Hermes 3 70B has 40.0B more parameters than IBM Granite 4.2 30B, making it 133.3% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Hermes 3 70B specifies input context (131,072 tokens). Only Hermes 3 70B specifies output context (16,384 tokens).
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
IBM Granite 4.2 30B was released on 2026-08-25, while Hermes 3 70B was released on 2024-08-15.
IBM Granite 4.2 30B is 25 months newer than Hermes 3 70B.
Aug 25, 2026
6 days ago
2.0yr newerAug 15, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against IBM Granite 4.2 30B and Hermes 3 70B side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about IBM Granite 4.2 30B vs Hermes 3 70B.