Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewGranite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Pick Granite 4.2 8B for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Granite 4.2 8B for lower cost; pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.2 8B is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, saving $0.005 (2.8% lower).
Cost-first pickGranite 4.2 8B
Context-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Sample savings$0.0052.8%
10x traffic gap$0.05
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has more context, but Granite 4.2 8B saves $0.005 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.05. 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, balanced workload favors Granite 4.2 8B, and output-heavy chatbot favors Granite 4.2 8B.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $0.57 | $0.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Granite 4.2 8B | $0.25 | $0.28 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Granite 4.2 8B | $0.85 | $1.08 |
Granite 4.2 8B is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
Granite 4.2 8B is $0.005 cheaper on the standard workload (2.8% lower).
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
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower input price; Granite 4.2 8B has the lower output price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Granite 4.2 8B is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.17 for Granite 4.2 8B and $0.18 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning.
Choose Granite 4.2 8B when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.2 8B is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, saving $0.005 (2.8% lower).
- Granite 4.2 8B is $0.005 cheaper on the standard workload (2.8% lower).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.02 cheaper per 1M input tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
- Granite 4.2 8B is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | NewGranite 4.2 8B (IBM) | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (NVIDIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.1 | $0.08 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.15 | $0.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.17 | $0.18 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Granite 4.2 8B | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.2 8B is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, saving $0.005 (2.8% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Granite 4.2 8B | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Granite 4.0 Micro can replace Granite 4.2 8B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.07.
- Granite 4.1 8B can replace Granite 4.2 8B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
- Nemotron 3 Ultra (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.15 sample workload cost.
- GLM 5.3 Flash offers 1.31M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.13 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- GPT-5.6 Luna · OpenAI · #3
- Hy3 · Tencent · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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