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Head-to-head comparison

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron Nano 9B V2

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (NVIDIA) and Nemotron Nano 9B V2 (NVIDIA) 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, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#79 vs #214); Nemotron Nano 9B V2 is cheaper per output token (Free/1M vs $0.20/1M); and Nemotron 3.5 Lightning offers the longer context window (1M vs 128K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Nemotron 3.5 Lightning if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #79 against #214 (31.7 vs 2.7 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 1M tokens against 128K.
  • you want provider choice — 3 listed API providers against 1.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 23.6 against 7.2.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Nemotron 3.5 Lightning was listed 11 August 2026, Nemotron Nano 9B V2 5 September 2025.

Choose Nemotron Nano 9B V2 if…

  • API cost matters — Free/1M output tokens against $0.20/1M.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost Free/1M against $0.08/1M.

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron Nano 9B V2: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Nemotron Nano 9B V2
FieldNemotron 3.5 LightningNVIDIANemotron Nano 9B V2NVIDIA
ModelCap Index position#79#214
Index score31.72.7
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.08Free
Output price / 1M tokens$0.20Free
Context window1M tokens128K tokens
Max output tokens131K—
API providers listed31
Weight accessRestricted licenseRestricted license
Input modalitiesTextText
First listed11 August 20265 September 2025
PublisherNVIDIANVIDIA

Evidence: 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board · 1 public benchmark observation across 1 board. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron Nano 9B V2

Public benchmark boards where Nemotron 3.5 Lightning or Nemotron Nano 9B V2 has a published result
BoardNemotron 3.5 LightningNemotron Nano 9B V2Leads
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis23.6intelligence-index7.2intelligence-indexNemotron 3.5 Lightning

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.

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron Nano 9B V2: common questions

Is Nemotron 3.5 Lightning better than Nemotron Nano 9B V2?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #79 against #214. 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning cheaper than Nemotron Nano 9B V2?

Nemotron Nano 9B V2 is cheaper on output tokens: Free/1M against $0.20/1M. Input tokens are $0.08/1M for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Free/1M for Nemotron Nano 9B V2. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning or Nemotron Nano 9B V2?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning has the larger context window: 1M tokens against 128K.

Which is better for coding, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning or Nemotron Nano 9B V2?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Nemotron Nano 9B V2 open-weight models?

Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Restricted license. Nemotron Nano 9B V2: Restricted license. 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 Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and Nemotron Nano 9B V2?

ModelCap currently lists 3 API providers for Nemotron 3.5 Lightning and 1 for Nemotron Nano 9B V2, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Nemotron 3.5 Lightning vs Nemotron Nano 9B V2 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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