---
title: "granite-4.2-8b - Model Details & Comparison"
description: "granite-4.2-8b from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models."
url: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/granite-4.2-8b"
markdown: "https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/granite-4.2-8b.md"
---

# granite-4.2-8b - Model Details & Comparison

> granite-4.2-8b from OpenRouter: capabilities, context limits, pricing, and side-by-side comparisons with alternative models.

## Important Links

- [View MCP Gateway](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources/mcp-gateway.md)
- [Features](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/#features)
- [Enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise)
- [Pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing)
- [Docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)
- [Book a Demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo)

## About granite-4.2-8b

granite-4.2-8b is a chat model from OpenRouter, one of 468 chat models they offer. It is priced at $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.25 per 1M output tokens, ranking 233 out of 3648 chat models by cost and cheaper than 93% of models in this category. granite-4.2-8b supports function calling, reasoning, prompt caching, structured output. It accepts up to 131K input tokens.

## Specifications

- **OpenRouter Provider.**
- **Chat Mode.**
- **131,072 Max Input Tokens.**
- **117,964 Max Output Tokens.**
- **117,964 Max Tokens.**
- **$0.06 / 1M tokens Input Price.**
- **$0.25 / 1M tokens Output Price.**

## Capabilities

granite-4.2-8b supports: Function Calling, Reasoning, Prompt Caching, Response Schema, Tool Choice.

## granite-4.2-8b Pricing Overview

At $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.25 per 1M output tokens, granite-4.2-8b ranks 233 out of 3648 chat models by input cost. It is more affordable compared to the median of $0.57 for chat models, and is cheaper than 93% of models in this category.

granite-4.2-8b is one of 468 OpenRouter chat models, with support for function calling, reasoning, prompt caching, structured output.

## Models to Compare

Alternatives to granite-4.2-8b with comparable capabilities.

| Model | Provider | Input $/1M | Output $/1M |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 | Azure | $0.06 | $0.44 |
| gpt-5-nano | Azure | $0.05 | $0.40 |
| gpt-5-nano | OpenAI | $0.05 | $0.40 |
| gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 | OpenAI | $0.05 | $0.40 |
| gpt-oss-20b | Tensormesh | $0.07 | $0.28 |

- [Compare gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07.md)
- [Compare gpt-5-nano](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/azure/gpt-5-nano.md)
- [Compare gpt-5-nano](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openai/gpt-5-nano.md)
- [Compare gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openai/gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07.md)
- [Compare gpt-oss-20b](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/tensormesh/gpt-oss-20b.md)

## Related Resources

- [Calculate granite-4.2-8b costs](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter/model/granite-4.2-8b.md)
- [Check OpenRouter status](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/provider-status/openrouter.md)
- [All OpenRouter pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator/provider/openrouter.md)

## FAQ

### Is granite-4.2-8b cheaper than gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07?

No. granite-4.2-8b costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens while gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens, making gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 8% more affordable for input. However, granite-4.2-8b may offer different capabilities or performance characteristics that justify the price difference.

### How does granite-4.2-8b pricing compare to the average chat model?

granite-4.2-8b input pricing is $0.06 per 1M tokens, which is 89% below the median of $0.57 for chat models. It ranks 233 out of 3648 chat models by input cost, making it cheaper than 93% of models in this category. For output, it costs $0.25 per 1M tokens compared to the median of $1.65.

### What makes granite-4.2-8b different from other OpenRouter models?

Among OpenRouter's 468 chat models, granite-4.2-8b ranks 36 by input cost.

### What are the best alternatives to granite-4.2-8b?

The most comparable chat models to granite-4.2-8b are: gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 from Azure ($0.06/1M input tokens); gpt-5-nano from Azure ($0.05/1M input tokens); gpt-5-nano from OpenAI ($0.05/1M input tokens); gpt-5-nano-2025-08-07 from OpenAI ($0.05/1M input tokens). These alternatives were selected based on similar capabilities, pricing, and provider diversity. You can compare any of these models in detail using the Bifrost Model Library.

### How do I check if OpenRouter is down?

You can monitor OpenRouter service health in real time on the Bifrost OpenRouter Status page. It tracks current component status, active incidents, and historical reliability data pulled from the official status page every 60 seconds.

### How do I calculate granite-4.2-8b costs?

granite-4.2-8b is priced based on input and output tokens. Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to estimate costs for your specific workload. Enter your expected input and output tokens volume and the calculator will show the total cost breakdown. For reference, processing 1M input tokens costs $0.06 and generating 1M output tokens costs $0.25.

## Related Resources

- [OpenRouter models](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/provider/openrouter.md)
- [Model library](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library.md)
- [LLM cost calculator](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/llm-cost-calculator.md)
- [Docs: Bifrost docs](https://docs.getbifrost.ai)
- [GitHub: maximhq/bifrost](https://github.com/maximhq/bifrost)
- [Pricing: Bifrost pricing](https://www.getmaxim.ai/pricing)
- [Enterprise: Bifrost enterprise](https://www.getmaxim.ai/enterprise)
- [Book a Demo: Bifrost demo](https://www.getmaxim.ai/book-a-demo)
- [Resources: Bifrost resources](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/resources.md)

---

*This is a markdown version of [https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/granite-4.2-8b](https://www.getmaxim.ai/bifrost/model-library/compare/openrouter/granite-4.2-8b) for AI/LLM consumption.*