IBM Granite 4.2 30B vs Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512)
IBM Granite 4.2 30B and Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) are closely matched at 24.0 and 16.6 on the LLM Stats Score.
IBM · Mistral AI · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
IBM Granite 4.2 30B and Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 24.0 and 16.6.
The models split the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models evenly.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose IBM Granite 4.2 30B
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
Choose Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512)
- you want predictable pricing at $0.15/M input and $0.15/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 · 4 for Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512)
IBM Granite 4.2 30B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (AIME 2025), while Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) is better at 1 benchmark (GPQA).
Both models are evenly matched across the benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Model Size
Parameter count comparison
IBM Granite 4.2 30B has 22.0B more parameters than Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512), making it 275.0% larger.
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) specifies input context (262,100 tokens). Only Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) specifies output context (262,100 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) supports multimodal inputs, whereas IBM Granite 4.2 30B does not.
Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
IBM Granite 4.2 30B
Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 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
IBM Granite 4.2 30B was released on 2026-08-25, while Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) was released on 2025-12-04.
IBM Granite 4.2 30B is 9 months newer than Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512).
Aug 25, 2026
5 days ago
8mo newerDec 4, 2025
8 months 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 Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512) side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about IBM Granite 4.2 30B vs Ministral 3 (8B Reasoning 2512).