Granite 4.2 8B vs Qwen3.5-9B
Granite 4.2 8B (2026) and Qwen3.5-9B (2026) are frontier reasoning models from IBM Research and Alibaba. Granite 4.2 8B ships a 128K-token context window, while Qwen3.5-9B ships a 256K-token context window. On MMLU PRO, Qwen3.5-9B leads by 8.5 pts. On pricing, Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.06/1M input tokens versus $0.10/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Granite 4.2 8B is ~67% cheaper at $0.06/1M; pay for Qwen3.5-9B only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Granite 4.2 8B | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps and tool-calling agents | multimodal apps, tool-calling agents, and provider-routed production |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, RAG, and Agents |
| Context window | 128K | 256K |
| Cheapest output | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 1 tracked | 5 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 3 shared | MMLU PRO leader |
Decision tradeoffs
- Granite 4.2 8B holds a shared-benchmark lead on LiveCodeBench, ahead by 7.6 points.
- Granite 4.2 8B uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Granite 4.2 8B for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Qwen3.5-9B holds a shared-benchmark lead on MMLU PRO, ahead by 8.5 points.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Qwen3.5-9B has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.15/1M tokens.
- Qwen3.5-9B has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Qwen3.5-9B uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local model data.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Granite 4.2 8B
$111
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Qwen3.5-9B
$118
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS
Estimated monthly gap: $7.00. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Qwen3.5-9B is $0.10/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Qwen3.5-9B adds Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Granite 4.2 8B is $0.10/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Granite 4.2 8B adds Reasoning in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-08-25 | 2026-03-02 |
| Context window | 128K | 256K |
| Parameters | 8B | 9B |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Decoder Only |
| License | Apache 2.0OSI-approved | Apache 2.0OSI-approved |
| Openness | Open source | Open source |
| Weights | Available | Available |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Permitted | Permitted |
| Knowledge cutoff | - | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Granite 4.2 8B | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.06/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.25/1M tokens | $0.15/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Granite 4.2 8B | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | Yes |
| Multimodal | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | Yes |
| Structured outputs | No | Yes |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Granite 4.2 8B | Qwen3.5-9B |
|---|---|---|
| MMLU PRO | 74.0 | 82.5 |
| Google-Proof Q&A | 64.1 | 81.7 |
| LiveCodeBench | 73.2 | 65.6 |
Deep dive
On shared benchmark coverage, MMLU PRO has Granite 4.2 8B at 74.0 and Qwen3.5-9B at 82.5, with Qwen3.5-9B ahead by 8.5 points; Google-Proof Q&A has Granite 4.2 8B at 64.1 and Qwen3.5-9B at 81.7, with Qwen3.5-9B ahead by 17.6 points; LiveCodeBench has Granite 4.2 8B at 73.2 and Qwen3.5-9B at 65.6, with Granite 4.2 8B ahead by 7.6 points. The largest visible gap is 17.6 points on Google-Proof Q&A, which matters most when that benchmark mirrors your workload. Treat isolated benchmark wins as directional, because provider routing, prompt style, and tool access can move real application results.
The capability footprint differs most on vision: Qwen3.5-9B, multimodal input: Qwen3.5-9B, reasoning mode: Granite 4.2 8B, and structured outputs: Qwen3.5-9B. Both models share JSON / Tool use, 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 4.2 8B lists $0.06/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens on the cheapest listed provider, while Qwen3.5-9B lists $0.10/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens on the cheapest listed provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Qwen3.5-9B lower by about $0.002 per million blended tokens. Availability is 1 providers versus 5, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Granite 4.2 8B when reasoning depth and lower input-token cost are central to the workload. Choose Qwen3.5-9B when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B supports 256K tokens, while Granite 4.2 8B supports 128K tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B is cheaper on listed token pricing. Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.06/1M input and $0.25/1M output tokens. Qwen3.5-9B costs $0.10/1M input and $0.15/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Granite 4.2 8B or Qwen3.5-9B open source?
Granite 4.2 8B is listed under Apache 2.0. Qwen3.5-9B is listed under Apache 2.0. 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 4.2 8B or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B 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 4.2 8B or Qwen3.5-9B?
Qwen3.5-9B 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.
Where can I run Granite 4.2 8B and Qwen3.5-9B?
Granite 4.2 8B is available on OpenRouter. Qwen3.5-9B is available on Together AI, OpenRouter, Alibaba Cloud PAI-EAS, Featherless, and DeepInfra. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-10-26. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.