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Nova Lite 1.0 vs Granite 4.2 8B

Granite 4.2 8B leads Nova Lite 1.0 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 11.1 to 6.7, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 1.2x less per output token ($0.20 vs $0.24 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 24 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Nova Lite 1.0 Replace Granite 4.2 8B
Nova Lite 1.0Amazon
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.24
0
Granite 4.2 8BIBM Granite
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.20
24
vs boards won of 24 shared

Nova Lite 1.0 or Granite 4.2 8B: which to pick

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.

Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for a larger context window (300K against 131K tokens) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.

Model ANova Lite 1.0AmazonNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BGranite 4.2 8BIBM GraniteNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
24
Nova Lite 1.0 only
17
Granite 4.2 8B only
3
Like-for-like categories
5 of 9

Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.

Which one for your work

Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.

At a glance

Coding index
Nova Lite 1.0 not benchmarked, Granite 4.2 8B not benchmarked.
Widest category
Coding, 22.1 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
Widest single gap
LMArena Text: expert: Nova Lite 1.0 1201 against Granite 4.2 8B 1386, 30.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Nova Lite 1.0 $0.24 against Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 per million output tokens, 1.2x apart.
Context window
Nova Lite 1.0 takes 300K tokens, Granite 4.2 8B 131K.

Benchmark by benchmark

First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.

Boards won, where both have a result
CategoryNova Lite 1.0BarsGranite 4.2 8BTies
Coding02
Intelligence01
Reasoning05
Knowledge04
General012
All shared boards024
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index02
Coding benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Coding IndexNot measured22.4Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)16.7%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
SciCodeNot measured31.5%Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run)0.8%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: coding12391378Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: software and IT12411367Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 33 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Intelligence benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Intelligence Index6.711.1Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
Agentic work benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Agentic IndexNot measured1.3Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
τ²-Bench Telecom17.5%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
Reasoning benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)43.3%63.1%Granite 4.2 8B
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)4.3%9.7%Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts12201327Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: expert12011386Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English12261345Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
Math benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Math Index7.0Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)7.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: math1227Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: mathematical work1235Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
Knowledge benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)59.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
MMLU77.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: science12321336Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare12131336Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: legal and government12381327Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: business and finance12191322Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 12 boards here
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
Neither model has a result on 9 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index012
General benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
IFBench34.1%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)19.0%45.0%Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text12291319Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: instruction following12051300Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: creative writing11971236Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Vision990Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: English12431337Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: non-English12081301Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: Chinese12251367Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: German1229Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: Japanese1153Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: Korean1153Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: French1238Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: Spanish1226Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: Russian12161282Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: multi-turn11991301Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: longer queries12341325Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: writing and language12111269Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: entertainment and media11761271Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Vision: English999Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 26 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Granite 4.2 8BLeader
Neither model has a result on 5 boards here

What each workload costs

Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.

Chat turn

1K input + 500 output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.0002Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.0002Fits in one request

Same cost

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.0037Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.0046Fits in one request

Nova Lite 1.0 costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.014Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.018Exceeds the context window

Nova Lite 1.0 costs less

Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.

Specification differences

The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.

Specifications of Nova Lite 1.0 and Granite 4.2 8B
SpecificationAmazon Nova Lite 1.0IBM Granite 4.2 8B
MakerAmazonIBM Granite
WeightsNo public weights listedOpen weights
ReleasedDecember 5, 2024August 31, 2026
Context window300K131K
Input $/Mtok$0.06$0.08
Output $/Mtok$0.24$0.20
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it00
Cost per solved taskNot computableNot computable
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Nova Lite 1.0 better than Granite 4.2 8B for coding?

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for a larger context window (300K against 131K tokens) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.

Which is cheaper, Nova Lite 1.0 or Granite 4.2 8B?

Nova Lite 1.0 costs $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.24 per million output tokens; Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 and $0.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.

Which has the bigger context window, Nova Lite 1.0 or Granite 4.2 8B?

Nova Lite 1.0, with 300K tokens against 131K.

How many benchmarks is the Nova Lite 1.0 vs Granite 4.2 8B comparison based on?

24 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Nova Lite 1.0's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Granite 4.2 8B's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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