GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) vs Granite 4.2 3B
Which is better for the money: GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) by OpenAI or Granite 4.2 3B by IBM? Intelligence, total benchmark cost, and end-to-end time from Artificial Analysis & other sources, snapshot 2026-10-26.
Trade-off
Verdict
Depends on your budget
GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) scores 6.4 points higher (15.5 vs 9.1) but costs 1.5× as much to run the benchmark ($23.0 vs $14.9; both budget class). Pick GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) when the extra intelligence is worth the premium, otherwise Granite 4.2 3B.
| Metric | GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) | Granite 4.2 3B | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence (higher is better) | 15.5 | 9.1 | −41.3% Granite 4.2 3B is 41.3% less intelligent |
| Total AA cost (lower is better) | $22.97 | $14.91 | −35.1% Granite 4.2 3B is 35.1% cheaper |
| End-to-end time (lower is better) | 4.98s | 62.62s | +1157.4% Granite 4.2 3B is 1157.4% slower |
| Price per 1M tokens (in / out) | $0.20 / $1.20 | $0.03 / $0.12 | |
| Input modalities | Text, Image | Text |
Granite 4.2 3B vs GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning): 41.3% less intelligence, 35.1% less cost to run the AA benchmark, and 1157.4% slower end-to-end.
Today's Pareto frontier
Against the frontier
- GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning) is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Luna (Low) scores 21.50 for $10.6.
- Granite 4.2 3B is off the frontier: at the same or lower cost, GPT-6 Luna (Low) scores 21.50 for $10.6.
GPT-5.6 Luna (Non-reasoning)Granite 4.2 3BToday's Pareto frontierOpen-weights frontierEvery other model
Matchup
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Accept: text/markdown or ?format=md returns this page as Markdown. JSON: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna-non-reasoning/granite-4-2-3b · Markdown: /api/v1/compare/gpt-5-6-luna-non-reasoning/granite-4-2-3b?format=md · llms.txt · agent skill