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Granite 4.2 8B vs Mistral Small 3

Granite 4.2 8B leads Mistral Small 3 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 11.1 to 6.7, and Mistral Small 3 costs 2.5x less per output token ($0.08 vs $0.20 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 24 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Granite 4.2 8B Replace Mistral Small 3
Granite 4.2 8BIBM Granite
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.20
24
Mistral Small 3Mistral AI
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.08
0
vs boards won of 24 shared

Granite 4.2 8B or Mistral Small 3: which to pick

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

Pick Granite 4.2 8B for a larger context window (131K against 33K tokens).

Model AGranite 4.2 8BIBM GraniteNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BMistral Small 3Mistral AINot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
24
Granite 4.2 8B only
3
Mistral Small 3 only
12
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, Mistral Small 3 not benchmarked.
Widest category
Coding, 21.0 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
Widest single gap
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR): Granite 4.2 8B 45.0% against Mistral Small 3 0.0%, 45.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 against Mistral Small 3 $0.08 per million output tokens, 2.5x apart.
Context window
Granite 4.2 8B takes 131K tokens, Mistral Small 3 33K.

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 8BBarsMistral Small 3Ties
Coding20
Intelligence10
Reasoning50
Knowledge40
General120
All shared boards240
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
Coding benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
AA Coding Index22.4Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured25.2%Only Mistral Small 3 measured
SciCode31.5%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text: coding13781246Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: software and IT13671248Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
Intelligence benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
AA Intelligence Index11.16.7Granite 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 Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
AA Agentic Index1.3Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
τ²-Bench TelecomNot measured19.6%Only Mistral Small 3 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index50
Reasoning benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)63.1%46.2%Granite 4.2 8B
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)9.7%3.8%Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts13271233Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: expert13861202Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English13451243Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
Math benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
AA Math IndexNot measured4.3Only Mistral Small 3 measured
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured4.3%Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: mathNot measured1240Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: mathematical workNot measured1243Only Mistral Small 3 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 10 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index40
Knowledge benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured65.2%Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: science13361235Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare13361215Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: legal and government13271219Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: business and finance13221205Granite 4.2 8B
Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
Neither model has a result on 9 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index120
General benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
IFBenchNot measured26.4%Only Mistral Small 3 measured
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)45.0%0.0%Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text13191234Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: instruction following13001214Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: creative writing12361194Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: English13371256Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: non-English13011198Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: Chinese13671204Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: GermanNot measured1211Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: JapaneseNot measured1111Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: KoreanNot measured1188Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: FrenchNot measured1204Only Mistral Small 3 measured
LMArena Text: Russian12821216Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: multi-turn13011217Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: longer queries13251246Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: writing and language12691214Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: entertainment and media12711184Granite 4.2 8B
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 Mistral Small 3
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3Leader
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
Mistral Small 3$0.0001Fits in one request

Mistral Small 3 costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Granite 4.2 8B$0.0046Fits in one request
Mistral Small 3$0.0027Exceeds the context window

Mistral Small 3 costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Granite 4.2 8B$0.018Exceeds the context window
Mistral Small 3$0.011Exceeds the context window

Mistral Small 3 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 Mistral Small 3
SpecificationIBM Granite 4.2 8BMistral Small 3
MakerIBM GraniteMistral AI
WeightsOpen weightsOpen weights
ReleasedAugust 31, 2026January 30, 2025
Context window131K33K
Input $/Mtok$0.08$0.05
Output $/Mtok$0.20$0.08
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it00
Cost per solved taskNot computableNot computable
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Granite 4.2 8B better than Mistral Small 3 for coding?

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Granite 4.2 8B for a larger context window (131K against 33K tokens).

Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Mistral Small 3?

Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 per million input tokens and $0.20 per million output tokens; Mistral Small 3 costs $0.05 and $0.08. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.

Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Mistral Small 3?

Granite 4.2 8B, with 131K tokens against 33K.

How many benchmarks is the Granite 4.2 8B vs Mistral Small 3 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 Mistral Small 3's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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