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ModelCap

Head-to-head comparison

Nova 2 Lite vs Command A

Nova 2 Lite (Amazon) and Command A (Cohere) 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 17 August 2026

As of 17 August 2026, Command A holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#86 vs #87); Nova 2 Lite is 4× cheaper per output token ($2.50/1M vs $10.00/1M); and Nova 2 Lite offers the longer context window (1M vs 256K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Nova 2 Lite if…

  • API cost matters — $2.50/1M output tokens against $10.00/1M, about 4× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.30/1M against $2.50/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 256K.
  • Arena coding is your yardstick — 1395 against 1390.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Nova 2 Lite was listed 2 December 2025, Command A 13 March 2025.

Choose Command A if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #86 against #87 (27.5 vs 27.5 points).

Nova 2 Lite vs Command A: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Nova 2 Lite and Command A
FieldNova 2 LiteAmazonCommand ACohere
ModelCap Index position#87#86
Index score27.527.5
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.30$2.50
Output price / 1M tokens$2.50$10.00
Context window1M tokens256K tokens
Max output tokens66K8K
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyGated access
Input modalitiesText, Image, Video, FileText
First listed2 December 202513 March 2025
PublisherAmazonCohere

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 3 public benchmark observations across 3 boards. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Nova 2 Lite vs Command A

Public benchmark boards where Nova 2 Lite or Command A has a published result
BoardNova 2 LiteCommand ALeads
Arena codingArena (LMArena)13951383–140613901383–1396Nova 2 Lite
BFCL V4UC Berkeley (Gorilla)—46.5Function callingOnly one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis—7.5intelligence-indexOnly 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 Command A: common questions

Is Nova 2 Lite better than Command A?

Command A ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #86 against #87. 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.

Is Nova 2 Lite cheaper than Command A?

Nova 2 Lite is cheaper on output tokens: $2.50/1M against $10.00/1M. Input tokens are $0.30/1M for Nova 2 Lite and $2.50/1M for Command A. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or Command A?

Nova 2 Lite has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 256K.

Which is better for coding, Nova 2 Lite or Command A?

Arena coding: Nova 2 Lite 1395, Command A 1390 — Nova 2 Lite leads.

Are Nova 2 Lite and Command A open-weight models?

Nova 2 Lite: API only. Command A: Gated access. 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 Command A?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Nova 2 Lite and 1 for Command A, 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 Command A comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 17 August 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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