Model Comparison

Claude Opus 5 vs Nova 2 LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Comparing Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

Verdict: Claude Opus 5 vs Nova 2 Lite — which is better?

Claude Opus 5 (by Anthropic) and Nova 2 Lite (by Amazon) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

On price, Nova 2 Lite is roughly 11.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Choose Claude Opus 5 if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026

Choose Nova 2 Lite if…

  • cost matters — it's about 11.8x cheaper per token

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Litedon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Nova 2 Lite costs less

For input processing, Claude Opus 5 ($5.00/1M tokens) is 16.7x more expensive than Nova 2 Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Claude Opus 5 ($25.00/1M tokens) is 10.0x more expensive than Nova 2 Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Claude Opus 5 is more expensive than Nova 2 Lite.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com
Anthropic
Claude Opus 5
Input tokens$5.00
Output tokens$25.00
Best providerAnthropic
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerAWS Bedrock
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 1,000,000 tokens. Claude Opus 5 can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Nova 2 Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.

Anthropic
Claude Opus 5
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Mon Jul 27 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite support multimodal inputs.

They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.

Claude Opus 5

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Nova 2 Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Claude Opus 5

Proprietary

Closed source

Nova 2 Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Claude Opus 5 was released on 2026-07-24, while Nova 2 Lite was released on 2025-12-02.

Claude Opus 5 is 8 months newer than Nova 2 Lite.

Claude Opus 5

Jul 24, 2026

3 days ago

7mo newer
Nova 2 Lite

Dec 2, 2025

7 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

Claude Opus 5 is available from Anthropic. Nova 2 Lite is available from Bedrock.

Claude Opus 5

anthropic logo
Anthropic
Input Price:Input: $5.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $25.00/1M

Nova 2 Lite

bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Anthropic

No standout differentiators in the data we have for this pair.

Amazon
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Claude Opus 5
✓ Preferred
Nova 2 Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Anthropic
Claude Opus 5
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Claude Opus 5 vs Nova 2 Lite.

Which is better, Claude Opus 5 or Nova 2 Lite?

Claude Opus 5 (Anthropic) and Nova 2 Lite (Amazon) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.

How does Claude Opus 5 compare to Nova 2 Lite in benchmarks?

Claude Opus 5 scores BrowseComp: 90.8%, BioMysteryBench: 90.1%, OSWorld 2.0: 70.6%, DeepSWE 1.1: 68.8%, Humanity's Last Exam: 64.7%. Nova 2 Lite scores AIME 2025: 91.0%, LongCodeBench: 84.0%, ScreenSpot: 83.3%, MMLU-Pro: 80.9%, GPQA: 79.6%.

Is Claude Opus 5 cheaper than Nova 2 Lite?

Nova 2 Lite is 16.7x cheaper for input tokens. Claude Opus 5 costs $5.00/M input and $25.00/M output via anthropic. Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30/M input and $2.50/M output via bedrock.

What are the context window sizes for Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite?

Claude Opus 5 supports 1.0M tokens and Nova 2 Lite supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite?

Key differences include input pricing ($5.00 vs $0.30/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Claude Opus 5 and Nova 2 Lite?

Claude Opus 5 is developed by Anthropic and Nova 2 Lite is developed by Amazon.

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