AI model comparison
Granite 4.2 8B vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Side by side comparison of Granite 4.2 8B and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite on pricing, benchmark scores, context window, and more.
Granite 4.2 8B is a dense reasoning model from IBM. It is suited for mathematics, code generation, multilingual dialogue, and agentic workflows that need multi-step reasoning.
- Input / 1M
- $0.06
- Output / 1M
- $0.25
- Context
- 131K
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is Google’s GA high-efficiency multimodal model optimized for low-latency, high-volume workloads.
- Input / 1M
- $0.25
- Output / 1M
- $1.50
- Context
- 1.05M
Comparing image generators? Compare image models
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Granite 4.2 8B
5.1x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
6.2 vs 5.1 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
1.05M vs 131K tokens
Newer release
Granite 4.2 8B
Released August 31, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Granite 4.2 8B5.1Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite6.2Coding index
Granite 4.2 8B22.4Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite34.7Agentic index
Granite 4.2 8B1.3Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite1.6Pricing
Granite 4.2 8B vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | Granite 4.2 8B | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.06 | $0.25 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.25 | $1.50 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.02 | $0.03 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | $0.08 |
| Web searchPer request | Not available | $0.014 |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Granite 4.2 8B$0.25Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite$1.25Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Granite 4.2 8B$2.80$1.45 cachedGemini 3.1 Flash Lite$13.50$6.75 cachedLong document summary
150K in, 2K out
Granite 4.2 8B$9.50$2.75 cachedGemini 3.1 Flash Lite$40.50$6.75 cachedSpecs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | Granite 4.2 8B | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 131K tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 118K tokens | 66K tokens |
| Input types | Text | Audio, File, Image, Text, Video |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Low, None | High, Medium, Low, Minimal, None |
| Default reasoning effort | High | Minimal |
| Release date | August 31, 2026 | May 7, 2026 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | Granite 4.2 8B | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
Granite 4.2 8BView full model details- Granite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3.5 Super VL
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Gemini 3.1 Flash LiteView full model details- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs GPT-5.6 Luna
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Hy4
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Inkling Small
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3 Flash Preview
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Inkling
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Nemotron 3 Ultra
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Muse Glimmer 30B
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Step 3.7 Flash
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Command A+
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Mistral Small 4
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Gemini 3.7 Flash
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs MiMo-V2.5
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs MiMo-V2.5-Pro
Our take
Granite 4.2 8B is 5.1x cheaper for a typical chat. Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (6.2 vs 5.1). Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has the larger context window (1.05M vs 131K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Granite 4.2 8B or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite cheaper?
Granite 4.2 8B is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.25 per 1M output tokens, while Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite costs $0.25 per 1M input tokens and $1.50 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 131K for Granite 4.2 8B.
Is Granite 4.2 8B smarter than Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Granite 4.2 8B scores 5.1 and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite scores 6.2, putting Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Granite 4.2 8B and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Granite 4.2 8B and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Granite 4.2 8B and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.