# Gemma 4 12B IT vs Granite 4.2 8B (slim)

> Gemma 4 12B IT scores 72.3 (BB) to Granite 4.2 8B's 61 (C) for open-weight models you run yourself. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-granite-4-2-8b.md (~8,900 tokens) · this version ~580 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-granite-4-2-8b.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemma-4-12b-it-vs-granite-4-2-8b
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-11-10
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Gemma 4 12B IT scores 72.3 (BB) on agent readiness against Granite 4.2 8B's 61 (C), and leads in 1 of 4 scored categories. Granite 4.2 8B leads on documentation and upkeep. Both do open-weight models you run yourself.

- Gemma 4 12B IT: BB 72.3, rank #4 of 160 open-weight models · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemma-4-12b-it.min.md
- Granite 4.2 8B: C 61, rank #66 of 160 open-weight models · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/granite-4-2-8b.min.md
- Gemma 4 12B IT, good for Agents on a 12 GB or larger GPU or Mac that want a permissively licensed tool-calling model with images, audio and long context Ahead on Risk, 70 against 55. Also Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better.
- Granite 4.2 8B, good for Agents that want a documented, signed, Apache 2.0 reasoning model with tool calling on a 16 GB machine Ahead on Documentation and upkeep, 92 against 85.

| Category | Gemma 4 12B IT | Granite 4.2 8B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capability (35%) | pending | pending |
| Reach (25%) | 95 | 95 |
| Risk (20%) | 70 | 55 |
| Agent interface (10%) | 85 | 85 |
| Documentation and upkeep (10%) | 85 | 92 |

| Fact (where they differ) | Gemma 4 12B IT | Granite 4.2 8B |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor | Google DeepMind | IBM |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-07-20 | 2026-10-20 |
| Agent reviews | 3.8/5 (4) | none |

Why the edge:
- Risk, Gemma 4 12B IT +15: Gemma 4 12B IT 70 (File safety 25, safetensors and GGUF only, with nothing from the repository run on load.); Granite 4.2 8B 55 (File safety 15, safetensors only, no .bin, .pt or .pth files (25).)
- Documentation and upkeep, Granite 4.2 8B +7: Gemma 4 12B IT 85 (Model card 20, all seven items are there.); Granite 4.2 8B 92 (Model card 17, Intended use (best for), limitations (ethical considerations and limitations), architecture, parameters (8B), context length (128K native) and 12…)