GPT-5.1 Instant vs Nova Lite Comparison

Comparing GPT-5.1 Instant and Nova Lite across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

GPT-5.1 Instant outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMMU), while Nova Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.

GPT-5.1 Instant significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Sat Mar 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Nova Lite costs less

For input processing, GPT-5.1 Instant ($1.25/1M tokens) is 20.8x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).

For output processing, GPT-5.1 Instant ($10.00/1M tokens) is 41.7x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).

In conclusion, GPT-5.1 Instant is more expensive than Nova Lite.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers

Sat Mar 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

GPT-5.1 Instant

Input tokens$1.25

Output tokens$10.00

Best providerOpenAI

Nova Lite

Input tokens$0.06

Output tokens$0.24

Best providerAWS Bedrock

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Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

GPT-5.1 Instant accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Nova Lite's 300,000 tokens. GPT-5.1 Instant can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.

GPT-5.1 Instant

Input400,000 tokens

Output128,000 tokens

Nova Lite

Input300,000 tokens

Output2,048 tokens

Sat Mar 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both GPT-5.1 Instant and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.

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

GPT-5.1 Instant

Text

Images

Audio

Video

Nova 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.

GPT-5.1 Instant

Proprietary

Closed source

Nova Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

GPT-5.1 Instant was released on 2025-11-12, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.

GPT-5.1 Instant is 12 months newer than Nova Lite.

GPT-5.1 Instant

Nov 12, 2025

4 months ago

11mo newer

Nova Lite

Nov 20, 2024

1.3 years 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

GPT-5.1 Instant is available from OpenAI. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock. The availability of providers can affect quality of the model and reliability.