Grok-2 mini vs Nova Lite
Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite are closely matched at 8.6 and 7.6 on the LLM Stats Score.
xAI · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 8.6 and 7.6.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok-2 mini wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok-2 mini
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 6 exact shared results
Choose Nova Lite
- 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
8 reported for Grok-2 mini · 27 for Nova Lite
Grok-2 mini outperforms in 5 benchmarks (DocVQA, GPQA, HumanEval, MMLU, MMMU), while Nova Lite is better at 1 benchmark (MATH).
Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Only Nova Lite specifies input context (300,000 tokens). Only Nova Lite specifies output context (2,048 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Grok-2 mini
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
Grok-2 mini was released on 2024-08-13, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Nova Lite is 3 months newer than Grok-2 mini.
Aug 13, 2024
2.1 years ago
Nov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
3mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Nova Lite.