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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Granite 4.2 8B vs Apertus 8B

Granite 4.2 8B comes out ahead, 64 to 54 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    IBM

    Granite 4.2 8B

    Released Aug 25, 2026

    64/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.06 / $0.15
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Granite 4.2 8B

  2. Swiss AI

    Apertus 8B

    Released Sep 2, 2025

    54/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.20
    • Context66K
    Full specs Remove Apertus 8B

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Granite 4.2 8B is our pick

Granite 4.2 8B is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Apertus 8B (54). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceGranite 4.2 8BGranite 4.2 8B $0.083 · Apertus 8B $0.125 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGranite 4.2 8BGranite 4.2 8B 131,072 · Apertus 8B 65,536 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGranite 4.2 8B: Text · Apertus 8B: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGranite 4.2 8BApertus 8B
Price50%9789
Inputs & features30%3525
Context window20%2512
Overall100%64/10054/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Granite 4.2 8B vs Apertus 8B specifications side by side
SpecificationGranite 4.2 8BIBMApertus 8BSwiss AI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.06 (best)$0.10
Output$0.15 (best)$0.20
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.083 (best)$0.125
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 7 providersMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens (best)65,536 tokens
Max output117,964 tokens (best)8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpenApache-2.0
API model ID——
API providers7 (best)1
ReleasedAug 25, 2026Sep 2, 2025
Knowledge cutoff—Sep 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Granite 4.2 8B$0.90
  • Apertus 8B$1.40
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Granite 4.2 8B or Apertus 8B?

Granite 4.2 8B is the better all-round choice, scoring 64/100 against Apertus 8B (54). It leads on price, inputs & features and context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Apertus 8B?

Granite 4.2 8B is cheaper at $0.06 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 7 API providers). Apertus 8B costs $0.10 input / $0.20 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.083 per million tokens for Granite 4.2 8B versus $0.125 for Apertus 8B (1.5× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Granite 4.2 8B has not been scored yet and Apertus 8B has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Granite 4.2 8B and Apertus 8B yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Granite 4.2 8B has the largest context window at 131,072 tokens, against 65,536 for Apertus 8B. Maximum output per response: Granite 4.2 8B up to 117,964, Apertus 8B up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Granite 4.2 8B accepts text; Apertus 8B accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights (Apache-2.0), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Granite 4.2 8B is the newest, released Aug 25, 2026. Apertus 8B came out Sep 2, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Apertus 8B Sep 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Nov 2, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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