Model Comparison

Grok-2 mini vs Nova LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Grok-2 mini vs Nova Lite — which is better?

Grok-2 mini (by xAI) and Nova Lite (by Amazon) are two of the AI models people compare most. Here is how they stack up on benchmarks, price and capabilities, and which one to pick in 2026.

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.

Choose Grok-2 mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 5 of 6 shared benchmarks

Choose Nova Lite if…

  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2024

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

6 benchmarks

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.

Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

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).

xAI
Grok-2 mini
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Amazon
Nova Lite
Input300,000 tokens
Output2,048 tokens
Sat Jul 25 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

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.

Grok-2 mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Nova Lite

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.

Grok-2 mini

Aug 13, 2024

1.9 years ago

Nova Lite

Nov 20, 2024

1.7 years ago

3mo newer

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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Higher DocVQA score (93.2% vs 92.4%)
Higher GPQA score (51.0% vs 42.0%)
Higher HumanEval score (85.7% vs 85.4%)
Higher MMLU score (86.2% vs 80.5%)
Higher MMMU score (63.2% vs 56.2%)
Amazon
Larger context window (300,000 tokens)
Higher MATH score (73.3% vs 73.0%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-2 mini
✓ Preferred
Nova Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-2 mini
Amazon
Nova Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-2 mini vs Nova Lite.

Which is better, Grok-2 mini or Nova Lite?

Grok-2 mini significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Grok-2 mini is made by xAI and Nova Lite is made by Amazon. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-2 mini compare to Nova Lite in benchmarks?

Grok-2 mini scores DocVQA: 93.2%, MMLU: 86.2%, HumanEval: 85.7%, MATH: 73.0%, MMLU-Pro: 72.0%. Nova Lite scores GSM8k: 94.5%, ARC-C: 92.4%, DocVQA: 92.4%, IFEval: 89.7%, Translation en→Set1 COMET22: 88.8%.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite?

Grok-2 mini supports an unknown number of tokens and Nova Lite supports 300K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

Who makes Grok-2 mini and Nova Lite?

Grok-2 mini is developed by xAI and Nova Lite is developed by Amazon.

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