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Head-to-head comparison

Nemotron 3 Ultra vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL

Nemotron 3 Ultra (NVIDIA) and Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL (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 Ultra holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#43 vs #223); Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL is cheaper per output token (Free/1M vs $3.60/1M); and Nemotron 3 Ultra offers the longer context window (512K vs 128K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Nemotron 3 Ultra if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #43 against #223 (52.9 vs 0.0 points).
  • you need the longer context window — 512K tokens against 128K.
  • you want provider choice — 4 listed API providers against 1.
  • Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index is your yardstick — 38.3 against 4.2.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Nemotron 3 Ultra was listed 4 June 2026, Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL 28 October 2025.

Choose Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL if…

  • API cost matters — Free/1M output tokens against $3.60/1M.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost Free/1M against $0.60/1M.

Nemotron 3 Ultra vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Nemotron 3 Ultra and Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL
FieldNemotron 3 UltraNVIDIANemotron Nano 12B 2 VLNVIDIA
ModelCap Index position#43#223
Index score52.90.0
EvidenceMeasuredMeasured
Input price / 1M tokens$0.60Free
Output price / 1M tokens$3.60Free
Context window512K tokens128K tokens
Max output tokens203K128K
API providers listed41
Weight accessRestricted licenseRestricted license
Input modalitiesTextImage, Text, Video
First listed4 June 202628 October 2025
PublisherNVIDIANVIDIA

Evidence: 2 public benchmark observations across 2 boards · 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 Ultra vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL

Public benchmark boards where Nemotron 3 Ultra or Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL has a published result
BoardNemotron 3 UltraNemotron Nano 12B 2 VLLeads
LMArena AgentLMArena-14.6%-17.2%–-12.1%—Only one result
Artificial Analysis Intelligence IndexArtificial Analysis38.3intelligence-index4.2intelligence-indexNemotron 3 Ultra

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 Ultra vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL: common questions

Is Nemotron 3 Ultra better than Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL?

Nemotron 3 Ultra ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 17 August 2026: #43 against #223. 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 Ultra cheaper than Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL?

Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL is cheaper on output tokens: Free/1M against $3.60/1M. Input tokens are $0.60/1M for Nemotron 3 Ultra and Free/1M for Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Nemotron 3 Ultra or Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL?

Nemotron 3 Ultra has the larger context window: 512K tokens against 128K.

Which is better for coding, Nemotron 3 Ultra or Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL?

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 Ultra and Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL open-weight models?

Nemotron 3 Ultra: Restricted license. Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL: 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 Ultra and Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL?

ModelCap currently lists 4 API providers for Nemotron 3 Ultra and 1 for Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Nemotron 3 Ultra vs Nemotron Nano 12B 2 VL 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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