Model Comparison
Claude Sonnet 4 vs Nova LiteWhich is better in 2026?
Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Nova Lite is 57.1x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Claude Sonnet 4 vs Nova Lite — which is better?
Claude Sonnet 4 (by Anthropic) and Nova 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.
Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU), while Nova Lite is better at 0 benchmarks. Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
On price, Nova Lite is roughly 57.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Nova Lite also accepts a larger context window (300,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Choose Claude Sonnet 4 if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped May 2025
Choose Nova Lite if…
- cost matters — it's about 57.1x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 300,000 token context window
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Claude Sonnet 4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU), while Nova Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.
Claude Sonnet 4 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($3.00/1M tokens) is 50.0x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).
For output processing, Claude Sonnet 4 ($15.00/1M tokens) is 62.5x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Claude Sonnet 4 is more expensive than Nova Lite.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Nova Lite accepts 300,000 input tokens compared to Claude Sonnet 4's 200,000 tokens. Claude Sonnet 4 can generate longer responses up to 64,000 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Both Claude Sonnet 4 and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Claude Sonnet 4
Nova Lite
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Claude Sonnet 4 was released on 2025-05-22, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Claude Sonnet 4 is 6 months newer than Nova Lite.
May 22, 2025
1.2 years ago
6mo newerNov 20, 2024
1.7 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Claude Sonnet 4 is available from Anthropic, Bedrock, Google. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.
Claude Sonnet 4
Nova Lite
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Claude Sonnet 4
View detailsAnthropic
Nova Lite
View detailsAmazon
Claude Sonnet 4Nova LiteDetailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Claude Sonnet 4 and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Claude Sonnet 4 vs Nova Lite.