IBM vs 
MiniMax
Verdict
- MiniMax's flagship leads: MiniMax M3 at 56.0 vs Granite 4.2 30B at 50.0.
- MiniMax has the better model in 3 of 4 price bands.
- IBM's fastest ranked model (Granite 4.2 3B, 214 tok/s) beats MiniMax's (MiniMax M3, 97 tok/s).
- IBM publishes more open-weights models (10 vs 7).
- MiniMax ships more often: one model every 108 days against every 118.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | IBM | MiniMax |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | – |
| Under $2/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | MiniMax M3 56.0$0.525/M |
| Under $10/M | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | MiniMax M3 56.0$0.525/M |
| Any price | Granite 4.2 30B 50.0$0.283/M | MiniMax M3 56.0$0.525/M |
Line-up
| Metric | IBM | MiniMax |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 50.0 | 56.0 |
| Ranked models | 7 | 4 |
| Open-weights models | 10 | 7 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.053 | $0.525 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 214 | 97 |
| Release cadence, days | 118 | 108 |
| Last release | 25 Aug 2026 | 1 Jun 2026 |
| Next expected | 3 Nov 2026 – 6 Feb 2027 | 4 Aug 2026 – 30 Oct 2026 |