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Granite 4.2 8B vs MiniMax M2

MiniMax M2 leads Granite 4.2 8B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 18.6 to 11.1, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 5.1x less per output token ($0.20 vs $1.02 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 24 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Granite 4.2 8B Replace MiniMax M2
Granite 4.2 8BIBM Granite
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.20
3
MiniMax M2MiniMax
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$1.02
21
vs boards won of 24 shared

Granite 4.2 8B or MiniMax M2: which to pick

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

Pick Granite 4.2 8B for output tokens 5.1x cheaper ($0.20 vs $1.02 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: software and IT or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.

Model AGranite 4.2 8BIBM GraniteNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BMiniMax M2MiniMaxNot benchmarked1 independent benchmark$0.702 per solved task
Shared results
24
Granite 4.2 8B only
3
MiniMax M2 only
26
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
Granite 4.2 8B not benchmarked, MiniMax M2 not benchmarked.
Widest category
Intelligence, 7.5 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
Widest single gap
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR): Granite 4.2 8B 45.0% against MiniMax M2 64.3%, 19.3 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 against MiniMax M2 $1.02 per million output tokens, 5.1x apart.
Context window
Granite 4.2 8B takes 131K tokens, MiniMax M2 205K.

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
CategoryGranite 4.2 8BBarsMiniMax M2Ties
Coding11
Intelligence01
Reasoning14
Knowledge04
General111
All shared boards321
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index11
Coding benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
SWE-bench VerifiedNot measured61.0%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena WebDevNot measured1297Only MiniMax M2 measured
AA Coding Index22.4Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured82.6%Only MiniMax M2 measured
SciCode31.5%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured25.8%Only MiniMax M2 measured
Terminal-BenchNot measured30.0%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: coding13781371Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: software and IT13671373MiniMax M2
LMArena WebDev: HTMLNot measured1306Only MiniMax M2 measured
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 Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Intelligence Index11.118.6MiniMax M2
Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index3 boards, none shared
Agentic work benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Agentic Index1.3Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
τ²-Bench TelecomNot measured86.8%Only MiniMax M2 measured
Vending-Bench 2Not measured$161Only MiniMax M2 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index14
Reasoning benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)63.1%77.7%MiniMax M2
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)9.7%13.7%MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: hard prompts13271357MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: expert13861338Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English13451376MiniMax M2
Kagi LLM BenchmarkNot measured57.8%Only MiniMax M2 measured
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 Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
AA Math IndexNot measured78.3Only MiniMax M2 measured
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured78.3%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: mathNot measured1351Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: mathematical workNot measured1368Only MiniMax M2 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 10 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
Knowledge benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured82.0%Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: science13361348MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare13361367MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: legal and government13271349MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: business and finance13221336MiniMax M2
Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index7 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
Design Arena: websitesNot measured1143Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: UI componentsNot measured1134Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: game devNot measured1118Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: data vizNot measured1140Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: 3DNot measured1098Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: all code categoriesNot measured1135Only MiniMax M2 measured
Design Arena: SVGNot measured1100Only MiniMax M2 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 2 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index111
General benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
IFBenchNot measured72.3%Only MiniMax M2 measured
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)45.0%64.3%MiniMax M2
LMArena Text13191340MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: instruction following13001329MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: creative writing12361286MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: English13371364MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: non-English13011313MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: Chinese13671366Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: GermanNot measured1357Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: FrenchNot measured1336Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: SpanishNot measured1326Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: Russian12821330MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: PolishNot measured1312Only MiniMax M2 measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn13011361MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: longer queries13251331MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: writing and language12691295MiniMax M2
LMArena Text: entertainment and media12711298MiniMax M2
Neither model has a result on the other 31 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2Leader
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

Granite 4.2 8B$0.0002Fits in one request
MiniMax M2$0.0008Fits in one request

Granite 4.2 8B costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Granite 4.2 8B$0.0046Fits in one request
MiniMax M2$0.016Fits in one request

Granite 4.2 8B costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Granite 4.2 8B$0.018Exceeds the context window
MiniMax M2$0.061Exceeds the context window

Granite 4.2 8B 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 Granite 4.2 8B and MiniMax M2
SpecificationIBM Granite 4.2 8BMiniMax M2
MakerIBM GraniteMiniMax
WeightsOpen weightsOpen weights
ReleasedAugust 31, 2026October 23, 2025
Context window131K205K
Input $/Mtok$0.08$0.255
Output $/Mtok$0.20$1.02
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it01
Cost per solved taskNot computable$0.702
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Granite 4.2 8B better than MiniMax M2 for coding?

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Granite 4.2 8B for output tokens 5.1x cheaper ($0.20 vs $1.02 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: software and IT or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.

Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or MiniMax M2?

Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 per million input tokens and $0.20 per million output tokens; MiniMax M2 costs $0.255 and $1.02. Cost per solved task is known for MiniMax M2 only.

Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or MiniMax M2?

MiniMax M2, with 205K tokens against 131K.

How many benchmarks is the Granite 4.2 8B vs MiniMax M2 comparison based on?

24 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Granite 4.2 8B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and MiniMax M2's on 1. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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