GPT-4 vs Nova Lite
GPT-4 and Nova Lite are closely matched at 3.2 and 7.7 on the LLM Stats Score. Nova Lite is 357.1x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-4 and Nova Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 3.2 and 7.7.
In the 5 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Nova Lite wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Nova Lite is roughly 357.1x 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.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-4
- you want predictable pricing at $30.00/M input and $60.00/M output
Choose Nova Lite
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 5 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 357.1x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 300,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2024
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
12 reported for GPT-4 · 27 for Nova Lite
GPT-4 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (DROP, MMLU), while Nova Lite is better at 3 benchmarks (GPQA, HumanEval, MATH).
Nova Lite has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-4 ($30.00/1M tokens) is 500.0x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-4 ($60.00/1M tokens) is 250.0x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-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 GPT-4's 32,768 tokens. GPT-4 can generate longer responses up to 32,768 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both GPT-4 and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
GPT-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
GPT-4 was released on 2023-06-13, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Nova Lite is 18 months newer than GPT-4.
Jun 13, 2023
3.2 years ago
Nov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
1.4yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-4 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2022-12-31, while Nova Lite's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-4's training data extends to 2022-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Nova Lite's cutoff date.
Dec 2022
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Provider Availability
GPT-4 is available from Azure, OpenAI. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.
GPT-4
Nova Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-4 and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-4 vs Nova Lite.