Amazon has launched a newer model, Nova 2.0 Lite, we suggest considering this model instead.
For more information, see Comparison of Nova 2.0 Lite to other models and API provider benchmarks for Nova 2.0 Lite.
Nova Lite Intelligence, Performance & Price Analysis
Model summary
Intelligence
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Speed
Output tokens per second
Input Price
USD per 1M tokens
Output Price
USD per 1M tokens
Verbosity
Output tokens from Intelligence Index
Metrics are compared against models of the same class:
- Non-reasoning models → compared only with other non-reasoning models
- Reasoning models → compared across both reasoning and non-reasoning
- Open weights models → compared only with other open weights models of the same size class:
- Tiny: ≤4B parameters
- Small: 4B–40B parameters
- Medium: 40B–150B parameters
- Large: >150B parameters
- Proprietary models → compared across proprietary and open weights models of the same price range, using a blended 3:1 input/output price ratio:
- <$0.15 per 1M tokens
- $0.15–$1 per 1M tokens
- >$1 per 1M tokens
| Reasoning | No This page shows the non-reasoning version of this model. A reasoning variant may also exist. |
|---|---|
| Input modality | Supports: image This information is still being updated |
| Output modality | This information is still being updated |
| Context window | 300k ~450 A4 pages of size 12 Arial font |
Nova Lite is above average in intelligence, but particularly expensive when comparing to other non-reasoning models of similar price. It's also faster than average, however somewhat verbose. The model supports image input, and has a 300k tokens context window.
Nova Lite scores 13 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it above average among comparable models (averaging 11). When evaluating the Intelligence Index, it generated 7.0M tokens, which is somewhat verbose in comparison to the average of 2.8M.
Pricing for Nova Lite is $0.06 per 1M input tokens (expensive, average: $0.00) and $0.24 per 1M output tokens (expensive, average: $0.00). In total, it cost $21.16 to evaluate Nova Lite on the Intelligence Index.
At 156 tokens per second, Nova Lite is faster than average (97).
Intelligence
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index by Open Weights / Proprietary
Intelligence Evaluations
Openness
Artificial Analysis Openness Index: Results
Intelligence Index Comparisons
Intelligence vs. Price
Intelligence Index Token Use & Cost
Output Tokens Used to Run Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Cost to Run Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index
Context Window
Context Window
Pricing
Pricing: Input and Output Prices
Intelligence vs. Price (Log Scale)
Pricing Comparison of Nova Lite API Providers
Speed
Measured by Output Speed (tokens per second)
Output Speed
Output Speed vs. Price
Latency
Measured by Time (seconds) to First Token
Latency: Time To First Answer Token
End-to-End Response Time
Seconds to output 500 Tokens, calculated based on time to first token, 'thinking' time for reasoning models, and output speed
End-to-End Response Time
Model Size (Open Weights Models Only)
Model Size: Total and Active Parameters
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Nova Lite
Nova Lite was released on December 3, 2024.
Nova Lite was created by Amazon.
Nova Lite scores 13 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it above average among other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 11).
Nova Lite generates output at 155.7 tokens per second (based on Amazon's API), which is above average compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 96.9 t/s).
Nova Lite has a time to first token (TTFT) of 0.73s (based on Amazon's API), which is very competitive compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 0.90s).
Nova Lite costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens (better than average, median: $0.06) and $0.24 per 1M output tokens (at the higher end, median: $0.20), based on Amazon's API.
Nova Lite costs $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.24 per 1M output tokens (based on Amazon's API). For a blended rate (3:1 input to output ratio), this is $0.10 per 1M tokens. Pricing may vary by provider. Compare provider pricing
When evaluated on the Intelligence Index, Nova Lite generated 7.0M output tokens, which is somewhat higher than average compared to other non-reasoning models in a similar price tier (median: 2.8M).
No, Nova Lite is not a reasoning model. It provides direct responses without extended chain-of-thought reasoning.
Nova Lite supports image input.
Nova Lite supports text only output.
Yes, Nova Lite supports image input and can analyze, describe, and answer questions about images.
No, Nova Lite is not multimodal. It only supports image input.
Nova Lite has a context window of 300k tokens. This determines how much text and conversation history the model can process in a single request.
No, Nova Lite is proprietary. The model weights are not publicly available.
Nova Lite is a proprietary model and Amazon has not disclosed the model size or parameter count.
Nova Lite achieves a score of 13 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. This composite benchmark evaluates models across reasoning, knowledge, mathematics, and coding.
Yes, Nova Lite is available via API through 1 provider. Compare API providers
Nova Lite is available through 1 API provider. Compare providers