GPT OSS 120B vs Nova 2 Lite
GPT OSS 120B and Nova 2 Lite are closely matched at 28.8 and 25.4 on the LLM Stats Score. GPT OSS 120B is 12.1x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT OSS 120B and Nova 2 Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 28.8 and 25.4.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, GPT OSS 120B wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, GPT OSS 120B is roughly 12.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Nova 2 Lite also accepts a larger context window (1,000,000 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 OSS 120B
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 12.1x cheaper per token
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Nova 2 Lite
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
7 reported for GPT OSS 120B · 19 for Nova 2 Lite
GPT OSS 120B outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Nova 2 Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT OSS 120B significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT OSS 120B ($0.04/1M tokens) is 8.1x cheaper than Nova 2 Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT OSS 120B ($0.17/1M tokens) is 14.7x cheaper than Nova 2 Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Nova 2 Lite is more expensive than GPT OSS 120B.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Nova 2 Lite accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to GPT OSS 120B's 131,072 tokens. GPT OSS 120B can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Nova 2 Lite is limited to 65,536 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Nova 2 Lite supports multimodal inputs, whereas GPT OSS 120B does not.
Nova 2 Lite can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT OSS 120B
Nova 2 Lite
License
Usage and distribution terms
GPT OSS 120B is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Nova 2 Lite uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Apache 2.0
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT OSS 120B was released on 2025-08-05, while Nova 2 Lite was released on 2025-12-02.
Nova 2 Lite is 4 months newer than GPT OSS 120B.
Aug 5, 2025
1.1 years ago
Dec 2, 2025
9 months ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
GPT OSS 120B is available from DeepInfra, Novita, OpenAI, Fireworks, Groq. Nova 2 Lite is available from Bedrock.
GPT OSS 120B
Nova 2 Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT OSS 120B and Nova 2 Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT OSS 120B vs Nova 2 Lite.