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ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Nova 2 Lite vs Nova Micro 1.0

Nova 2 Lite (Amazon) and Nova Micro 1.0 (Amazon) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 22 September 2026

As of 22 September 2026, Nova 2 Lite holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#156 vs #224); Nova Micro 1.0 is 17.9× cheaper per output token ($0.14/1M vs $2.50/1M); and Nova 2 Lite offers the longer context window (1M vs 128K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Nova 2 Lite if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #156 against #224 (36.8 vs 13.2 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 128K.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1394 against 1289.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Nova 2 Lite was listed 2 December 2025, Nova Micro 1.0 5 December 2024.

Choose Nova Micro 1.0 if…

  • API cost matters — $0.14/1M output tokens against $2.50/1M, about 17.9× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.035/1M against $0.30/1M.

Nova 2 Lite vs Nova Micro 1.0: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Nova 2 Lite and Nova Micro 1.0
FieldNova 2 LiteAmazonNova Micro 1.0Amazon
ModelCap Index position#156#224
Index score36.813.2
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$0.035
Output price / 1M tokens$2.50$0.14
Context window1M tokens128K tokens
Max output tokens66K5K
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyAPI only
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, FileText
First listed2 December 20255 December 2024
PublisherAmazonAmazon

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Nova 2 Lite vs Nova Micro 1.0

Public benchmark boards where Nova 2 Lite or Nova Micro 1.0 has a published result
BoardNova 2 LiteNova Micro 1.0Leads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13941382–140612891278–1299Nova 2 Lite
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)22.3Function callingOnly one result

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Nova 2 Lite vs Nova Micro 1.0: common questions

Is Nova 2 Lite better than Nova Micro 1.0?

Nova 2 Lite ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 22 September 2026: #156 against #224. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it. Their published uncertainty intervals do not overlap, but the aggregate Index does not predict performance on every task; compare the relevant benchmark configurations before choosing.

Is Nova 2 Lite cheaper than Nova Micro 1.0?

Nova Micro 1.0 is cheaper on output tokens: $0.14/1M against $2.50/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for Nova 2 Lite and $0.035/1M for Nova Micro 1.0. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens. For 1,000 requests with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens each (2M input + 0.5M output), the listed-rate estimate is $1.85 for Nova 2 Lite versus $0.14 for Nova Micro 1.0. Nova Micro 1.0 costs 92.4% less in this scenario. This excludes caching, batch discounts, prompt-length tiers, tool charges and retries; verify the selected endpoint before budgeting.

Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or Nova Micro 1.0?

Nova 2 Lite has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 128K.

Which is better for coding, Nova 2 Lite or Nova Micro 1.0?

Arena coding: Nova 2 Lite 1394, Nova Micro 1.0 1289 — Nova 2 Lite leads.

Are Nova 2 Lite and Nova Micro 1.0 open-weight models?

Nova 2 Lite: API only. Nova Micro 1.0: API only. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Nova 2 Lite and Nova Micro 1.0?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Nova 2 Lite and 1 for Nova Micro 1.0, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Nova 2 Lite vs Nova Micro 1.0 comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 22 September 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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