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Granite 4.2 8B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking leads Granite 4.2 8B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 11.2 to 11.1, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 6.0x less per output token ($0.20 vs $1.20 per million). Updated October 23, 2026; 22 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Granite 4.2 8B Replace Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Granite 4.2 8BIBM Granite
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.20
2
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingQwen
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$1.20
20
vs boards won of 22 shared

Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: 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 6.0x cheaper ($0.20 vs $1.20 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.

Model AGranite 4.2 8BIBM GraniteNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingQwenNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
22
Granite 4.2 8B only
5
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking only
8
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, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking not benchmarked.
Widest category
General, 8.2 points apart on average over 11 shared benchmarks.
Widest single gap
LMArena Text: creative writing: Granite 4.2 8B 1235 against Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking 1314, 13.2 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 against Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking $1.20 per million output tokens, 6.0x apart.
Context window
Granite 4.2 8B takes 131K tokens, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking 262K.

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 8BBarsQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingTies
Coding12
Intelligence01
Reasoning12
Knowledge04
General011
All shared boards220
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index12
Coding benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
AA Coding Index22.417.4Granite 4.2 8B
SciCode31.5%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text: coding13781391Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: software and IT13661393Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Intelligence benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
AA Intelligence Index11.111.2Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
Agentic work benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
AA Agentic Index1.3Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index12
Reasoning benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)63.1%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)9.7%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text: hard prompts13271371Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: expert13861376Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English13441384Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
Math benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
LMArena Text: mathNot measured1398Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: mathematical workNot measured1390Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
Neither model has a result on the other 12 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
Knowledge benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
LMArena Text: science13351385Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare13321392Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: legal and government13271364Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: business and finance13221360Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Neither model has a result on the other 16 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 Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
Neither model has a result on 9 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index011
General benchmarks for Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)45.0%Not measuredOnly Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text13191368Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: instruction following13011343Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: creative writing12351314Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: English13371392Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: non-English13001342Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: Chinese13651407Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: GermanNot measured1356Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: JapaneseNot measured1280Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: KoreanNot measured1309Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: FrenchNot measured1353Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: SpanishNot measured1358Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: Russian12801337Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: PolishNot measured1344Only Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn13001346Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: longer queries13241353Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: writing and language12691330Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
LMArena Text: entertainment and media12711313Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
Neither model has a result on the other 30 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 Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
BenchmarkGranite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingLeader
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
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking$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
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking$0.011Fits 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
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking$0.042Fits in one request

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 Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
SpecificationIBM Granite 4.2 8BQwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
MakerIBM GraniteQwen
WeightsOpen weightsOpen weights
ReleasedAugust 31, 2026September 11, 2025
Context window131K262K
Input $/Mtok$0.08$0.15
Output $/Mtok$0.20$1.20
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 Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking 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 6.0x cheaper ($0.20 vs $1.20 per million) and work measured by LMArena Text: coding or LMArena Text: software and IT, where it leads.

Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking?

Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 per million input tokens and $0.20 per million output tokens; Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking costs $0.15 and $1.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.

Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking?

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking, with 262K tokens against 131K.

How many benchmarks is the Granite 4.2 8B vs Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking comparison based on?

22 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 23, 2026. Granite 4.2 8B's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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