Granite 3.3 8B Instruct vs Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct (2025) and Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL (2025) are compact production models from IBM Research and NVIDIA AI. Granite 3.3 8B Instruct ships a 128K-token context window, while Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL ships a not-yet-sourced context window. On pricing, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input tokens versus $0.2/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is ~567% cheaper at $0.03/1M; pay for Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL only for vision-heavy evaluation.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Vision and JSON / Tool use |
| Context window | 128K | — |
| Cheapest output | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.6/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 2 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.25/1M tokens.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct uniquely exposes Function calling and Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Granite 3.3 8B Instruct for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL for Vision and JSON / Tool use.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output prices on this page.
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct
$86.50
Cheapest tracked route: Replicate API
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL
$310
Cheapest tracked route: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $224. Batch, cache, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL is $0.35/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Function calling and Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on NVIDIA NIM; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is $0.35/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Granite 3.3 8B Instruct adds Function calling and Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-03-01 | 2025-10-28 |
| Context window | 128K | — |
| Parameters | 8B | 12B |
| Architecture | decoder only | decoder only |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-04 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.03/1M tokens | $0.2/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.6/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Granite 3.3 8B Instruct | Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | No | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL, multimodal input: Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL, function calling: Granite 3.3 8B Instruct, tool use: Granite 3.3 8B Instruct, and structured outputs: Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct lists $0.03/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens, while Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL lists $0.2/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Granite 3.3 8B Instruct lower by about $0.22 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 2, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Granite 3.3 8B Instruct when provider fit and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL when vision-heavy evaluation are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Granite 3.3 8B Instruct costs $0.03/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL costs $0.2/1M input and $0.6/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL open source?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is listed under Apache 2.0. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL is listed under Unknown. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for vision, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for function calling, Granite 3.3 8B Instruct or Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct has the clearer documented function calling signal in this comparison. If function calling is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Granite 3.3 8B Instruct and Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL?
Granite 3.3 8B Instruct is available on NVIDIA NIM and Replicate API. Nemotron-Nano-12B-v2-VL is available on NVIDIA NIM and OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
Continue comparing
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.