Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Nova Lite
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads the LLM Stats Score 29.8 to 7.6. Nova Lite is 8.1x cheaper per token.
Google · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite leads the overall LLM Stats Score 29.8 to 7.6, ranking #124 overall.
On price, Nova Lite is roughly 8.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
- overall performance matters — it scores 29.8 and ranks #124 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
Choose Nova Lite
- cost matters — it's about 8.1x cheaper per token
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
6 reported for Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite · 27 for Nova Lite
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Nova Litedon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($0.30/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).
For output processing, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite ($2.50/1M tokens) is 10.4x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is more expensive than Nova Lite.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Nova Lite's 300,000 tokens. Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
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
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite was released on 2026-07-21, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is 20 months newer than Nova Lite.
Jul 21, 2026
2 months ago
1.7yr newerNov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-03-31, while Nova Lite's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite's training data extends to 2026-03-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Nova Lite's cutoff date.
Mar 2026
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Provider Availability
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite is available from Google. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.
Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite
Nova Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite vs Nova Lite.