# Gemma 2 2b IT vs Granite 3.0 8b Instruct

> Gemma 2 2b IT is the stronger model overall, scoring 32.5 to 31.1 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/gemma-2-2b-it-vs-granite-3-0-8b-instruct
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Shared benchmarks: 12

## Summary

- They share 12 benchmarks with published results for both. Gemma 2 2b IT scores higher in 7 categories and Granite 3.0 8b Instruct in 1 category; 4 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Gemma 2 2b IT leads 36.6 to 31.2.

## Snapshot

| | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Google | IBM |
| Noometry Index | 32.5 | 31.1 |
| Rank | 244 | 266 |
| Context | — | — |
| Input $/M | — | — |
| Output $/M | — | — |
| Weights | Open | Open |

## Coding

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 31.8 (#268)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 29.1 (#297)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1112 | 1113 |
| BigCodeBench Instruct | — | 29.3% |
| BigCodeBench Complete | — | 35.4% |

## Reasoning

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 20.5 (#219)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 20.0 (#227)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1113 | 1092 |

## Math

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 30.1 (#212)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 30.3 (#211)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1135 | 1143 |

## Knowledge

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 29.3 (#229)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 29.1 (#233)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1096 | 1087 |

## Multilingual

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 32.5 (#252)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 27.4 (#271)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1121 | 1037 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1132 | 1063 |
| LMArena Russian | 1118 | 1060 |
| LMArena French | 1156 | — |
| LMArena German | 1114 | — |
| LMArena Japanese | 1083 | — |
| LMArena Korean | 1055 | — |
| LMArena Spanish | 1140 | — |

## Instruction Following

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 58.1 (#258)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 56.2 (#271)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1118 | 1088 |

## Long Context

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 34.2 (#245)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 34.0 (#247)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1130 | 1122 |

## Writing & Preference

- Gemma 2 2b IT: 36.6 (#258)
- Granite 3.0 8b Instruct: 31.2 (#280)

| Benchmark | Gemma 2 2b IT | Granite 3.0 8b Instruct |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1156 | 1096 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1147 | 1071 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1118 | 1063 |

## FAQ

### Is Gemma 2 2b IT better than Granite 3.0 8b Instruct?

Gemma 2 2b IT is the stronger model overall, scoring 32.5 to 31.1 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Gemma 2 2b IT or Granite 3.0 8b Instruct better for coding?

Gemma 2 2b IT scores higher on coding benchmarks: 31.8 versus 29.1 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Gemma 2 2b IT and Granite 3.0 8b Instruct share?

12 benchmarks have published results for both models. Gemma 2 2b IT has 17 scored results on Noometry and Granite 3.0 8b Instruct has 14.