API cost decision in 10 seconds
Granite 4.1 8B vs Granite 4.0 Micro
Pick Granite 4.0 Micro for lower cost; pick Granite 4.1 8B only if the larger context window matters more.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Granite 4.0 Micro for lower cost; pick Granite 4.1 8B only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B, saving $0.03 (27% lower).
Cost-first pickGranite 4.0 Micro
Context-first pickGranite 4.1 8B
Sample savings$0.0327%
10x traffic gap$0.27
Granite 4.1 8B has more context, but Granite 4.0 Micro saves $0.03 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.27. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Granite 4.0 Micro, balanced workload favors Granite 4.0 Micro, and output-heavy chatbot favors Granite 4.1 8B.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Granite 4.1 8B | Granite 4.0 Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Granite 4.0 Micro | $0.3 | $0.14 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Granite 4.0 Micro | $0.15 | $0.13 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Granite 4.1 8B | $0.55 | $0.58 |
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Granite 4.0 Micro has the lower input price, Granite 4.1 8B has the lower output price, and Granite 4.1 8B offers the larger context window.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B and $0.07 for Granite 4.0 Micro.
Choose Granite 4.1 8B when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Granite 4.0 Micro when you care most about lower input-token price.
| Feature | Granite 4.1 8B (IBM) | Granite 4.0 Micro (IBM) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.05 | $0.02 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.1 | $0.11 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.1 | $0.07 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 131K |
| Release Date | 2026-04-30 | 2025-10-20 |
Granite 4.1 8B is a dense, decoder-only 8-billion-parameter language model from IBM, part of the Granite 4.1 family. It supports a 131K-token context window and is designed for enterprise tasks...
Granite-4.0-H-Micro is a 3B parameter from the Granite 4 family of models. These models are the latest in a series of models released by IBM. They are fine-tuned for long...
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Granite 4.0 Micro | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $0.1 for Granite 4.1 8B, saving $0.03 (27% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Granite 4.0 Micro | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Granite 4.1 8B | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Granite 4.1 8B | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files. |