Granite 4.2 8B vs Solar Pro 3
Granite 4.2 8B leads Solar Pro 3 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 11.1 to 7.8, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 3.0x less per output token ($0.20 vs $0.60 per million). Updated October 23, 2026; 7 benchmarks have a result for both.
Granite 4.2 8B or Solar Pro 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 output tokens 3.0x cheaper ($0.20 vs $0.60 per million) and work measured by AA Agentic Index or GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
- Shared results
- 7
- Granite 4.2 8B only
- 20
- Solar Pro 3 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.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Granite 4.2 8B
Granite 4.2 8B leads, 11.1 against 7.8.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
Solar Pro 3
Solar Pro 3 leads, 1.4 against 1.3.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 131K tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B
Granite 4.2 8B $0.0002, Solar Pro 3 $0.0004 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Granite 4.2 8B not benchmarked, Solar Pro 3 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- General, 12.7 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- Long context reasoning (AA-LCR): Granite 4.2 8B 45.0% against Solar Pro 3 32.3%, 12.7 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 against Solar Pro 3 $0.60 per million output tokens, 3.0x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 131K tokens.
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.
| Category | Granite 4.2 8B | Bars | Solar Pro 3 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Agentic work | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 2 | ||
| General | 1 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 4 | 3 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 22.4 | 16.2 | Granite 4.2 8B |
| SciCode | 31.5% | 25.5% | Granite 4.2 8B |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 7.6% | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1378 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1366 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 11.1 | 7.8 | Granite 4.2 8B |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 1.3 | 1.4 | Solar Pro 3 |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 86.3% | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 63.1% | 72.4% | Solar Pro 3 |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 9.7% | 10.3% | Solar Pro 3 |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1327 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1386 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1344 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 14 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: science | 1335 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1332 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1327 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1322 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| 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
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | Not measured | 71.2% | Only Solar Pro 3 measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 45.0% | 32.3% | Granite 4.2 8B |
| LMArena Text | 1319 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1301 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1235 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: English | 1337 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1300 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1365 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1280 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1300 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1324 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1269 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1271 | Not measured | Only Granite 4.2 8B measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Solar Pro 3 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Granite 4.2 8B costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
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.
| Specification | IBM Granite 4.2 8B | Upstage Solar Pro 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | IBM Granite | Upstage |
| Weights | Open weights | No public weights listed |
| Released | August 31, 2026 | January 27, 2026 |
| Context window | 131K | 131K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.08 | $0.15 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.20 | $0.60 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Granite 4.2 8B better than Solar Pro 3 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 3.0x cheaper ($0.20 vs $0.60 per million) and work measured by AA Agentic Index or GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Solar Pro 3?
Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 per million input tokens and $0.20 per million output tokens; Solar Pro 3 costs $0.15 and $0.60. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Solar Pro 3?
Neither: both take 131K tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Granite 4.2 8B vs Solar Pro 3 comparison based on?
7 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 Solar Pro 3's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.