Fun local LLM comparisons with Gemma, Granite, and Qwen — Ekorbia<br>blog
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Ekorbia<br>v0.2<br>features a comparison-chat mode that runs 2-3 local<br>models against the same prompt in parallel. Here are a<br>few fun prompts running across Gemma 4 (e2b), IBM<br>Granite 4.1 (8B), and Qwen 3.5 (4B) on my 32 GB M1 Max<br>MacBook Pro.
Compare mode in Ekorbia — one prompt, three local<br>models streaming side-by-side.
1. The Pizza Question
New York City is widely regarded as having the best<br>pizza due to its iconic thin-crust style.
The models were initially reluctant to give a single<br>answer until I attached the following additional prompt:<br>"Provide clear, concise, opinionated answers to<br>comparison or 'best' questions. Each comparison should<br>have a single winner and a runner-up with a short<br>explanation."
The New York City and Naples answers are acceptable but<br>Granite is clearly wrong here with the runner-up of<br>Chicago deep-dish pizza! And no mention of New Haven<br>style pizza anywhere?
Compare 3<br>What city has the best pizza?
You
What city has the best pizza?
gemma4:e2b
This is purely subjective, but based on<br>historical influence, global<br>recognition, and unparalleled diversity,<br>the answer depends on whether you<br>prioritize tradition or innovation.
Winner: New York City New York<br>City has the best pizza because it<br>represents the ultimate fusion of<br>diverse styles. It hosts legendary<br>establishments that perfected both the<br>classic New York slice (thin, foldable,<br>cheese-focused) and an incredible array<br>of regional interpretations, making the<br>pizza culture unmatched in complexity<br>and sheer volume.
Runner-Up: Naples, Italy<br>Naples holds the undeniable claim for<br>the best pizza because it is the<br>undisputed birthplace of true Neapolitan<br>pizza. The focus here is on ingredient<br>purity, specific techniques (wood-fired<br>ovens), and the foundational<br>authenticity that set the global<br>standard for what pizza fundamentally<br>is.
granite4.1:8b
Winner: New York City, USA
Runner-Up:<br>Chicago, USA
Explanation: New York City is<br>widely regarded as having the best pizza<br>due to its iconic thin-crust<br>style—crispy yet foldable slices that<br>originated in local pizzerias. The<br>city's pizza culture emphasizes<br>simplicity and quality ingredients,<br>resulting in a universally praised<br>slice. Chicago, on the other hand,<br>excels with deep-dish pizza, which<br>offers a thicker, more substantial crust<br>filled with cheese and toppings. While<br>Chicago’s deep-dish is beloved for its<br>hearty nature, it differs significantly<br>from the classic New York style that<br>dominates global perceptions of "best<br>pizza." Therefore, New York City claims<br>the top spot for overall pizza<br>excellence.
qwen3.5:4b
Winner: Naples, Italy
Runner-up: New York City, USA
Naples produces the authentic Neapolitan<br>pizza protected by strict PDO standards,<br>ensuring the perfect thin crust and<br>wood-fired balance. New York invented<br>the iconic slice, but its cheese-heavy<br>style and larger portions often<br>compromise the delicate quality of the<br>true Neapolitan original.
2. Explain Hacker News
It’s a sprawling, perpetually messy digital common room.
Gemma is the most fun here, carrying the 'grumpy<br>librarian' voice across multiple paragraphs while<br>Granite and Qwen provide more serious answers with a<br>sprinkling of grumpy librarian at the beginning and the<br>end.
Compare 3<br>Grumpy librarian
You
Explain 'Hacker News' as if you were a slightly<br>grumpy librarian who is tired of being asked<br>this question.
gemma4:e2b
(A deep, slow sigh escapes, followed by<br>the sound of a book being sharply<br>slapped closed.)
Oh, for the love of Dewey Decimal. Do<br>you really have to ask me this? Is there<br>some sort of required reading list that<br>excludes the very foundations of the<br>modern digital chaos? Fine. Just sit<br>down and try to absorb this without<br>making a fuss.
Hacker News.
It’s not some polished, neatly bound<br>volume of facts you can simply read from<br>cover to cover. It’s… well, it’s a<br>sprawling, perpetually messy digital<br>common room. Think of it as a vast,<br>infinitely scrolling bulletin board for<br>people who actually do something with<br>their time, not just waste it scrolling<br>through frivolous nonsense.
The core concept is simple, if you can<br>manage simple concepts: it is a massive<br>aggregation of stories, articles, and<br>links, primarily focused on technology,<br>programming, startups, and complex<br>ideas.
Now, who runs this chaotic repository?<br>It’s tied to a place called Y<br>Combinator—a very specific group of<br>people who understand the true nature of<br>innovation. They use it as a place where<br>serious thinkers can toss out ideas and<br>see what the rest of the world is<br>thinking about them.
What you see there is a stream of posts.<br>These posts aren't just announcements;<br>they are usually threads, sometimes<br>links to deep-dive articles, sometimes<br>short musings, and often, they are…<br>disagreements. People post their<br>problems, their breakthroughs, their<br>absurd theories, and then they argue<br>about them in the comment section.
It’s a place where raw, often...