Granite 4.2 8B is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (14.3% lower; 1.17x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Granite 4.2 8B vs Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when budget and context both matter.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Granite 4.2 8B, saving $0.01 (8.1% lower).
Cost-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Context-first pickNemotron 3.5 Lightning
Sample savings$0.018.1%
10x traffic gap$0.15
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.15. 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 4.2 8B, balanced workload favors Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, and output-heavy chatbot favors Nemotron 3.5 Lightning.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Granite 4.2 8B | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Granite 4.2 8B | $0.42 | $0.45 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $0.31 | $0.27 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | $1.31 | $1.07 |
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (8.1% 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
Granite 4.2 8B has the lower input price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the lower output price; Nemotron 3.5 Lightning offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.18 for Granite 4.2 8B and $0.17 for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning.
Choose Granite 4.2 8B when you care most about lower input-token price.
Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Granite 4.2 8B, saving $0.01 (8.1% lower).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (8.1% lower).
- Granite 4.2 8B is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (14.3% lower; 1.17x difference).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is $0.05 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
- Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has 131.07K more context (2x larger).
| Feature | Granite 4.2 8B (IBM) | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (NVIDIA) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.06 | $0.07 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.25 | $0.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.18 | $0.17 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is estimated at $0.17 vs $0.18 for Granite 4.2 8B, saving $0.01 (8.1% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Granite 4.2 8B | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Nemotron 3.5 Lightning | 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 Super VL (free) can replace Nemotron 3.5 Lightning when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Muse Spark 1.3 Contributor offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
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