Model Comparison

Grok-3 Mini vs Nova 2 LiteWhich is better in 2026?

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is 2.4x cheaper per token.

Verdict: Grok-3 Mini vs Nova 2 Lite — which is better?

Grok-3 Mini (by xAI) and Nova 2 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-3 Mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench), while Nova 2 Lite is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025). Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

On price, Grok-3 Mini is roughly 2.4x 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.

Choose Grok-3 Mini if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
  • cost matters — it's about 2.4x cheaper per token

Choose Nova 2 Lite if…

  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,000,000 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

3 benchmarks

Grok-3 Mini outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench), while Nova 2 Lite is better at 1 benchmark (AIME 2025).

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.

Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Grok-3 Mini costs less

For input processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.30/1M tokens) costs the same as Nova 2 Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).

For output processing, Grok-3 Mini ($0.50/1M tokens) is 5.0x cheaper than Nova 2 Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Nova 2 Lite is more expensive than Grok-3 Mini.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$0.50
Best providerxAI
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite
Input tokens$0.30
Output tokens$2.50
Best providerAWS Bedrock
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Nova 2 Lite accepts 1,000,000 input tokens compared to Grok-3 Mini's 128,000 tokens. Nova 2 Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while Grok-3 Mini is limited to 8,000 tokens.

xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,000 tokens
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite
Input1,000,000 tokens
Output65,536 tokens
Tue Jul 21 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Grok-3 Mini and Nova 2 Lite support multimodal inputs.

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

Grok-3 Mini

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Nova 2 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-3 Mini

Proprietary

Closed source

Nova 2 Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Grok-3 Mini was released on 2025-02-17, while Nova 2 Lite was released on 2025-12-02.

Nova 2 Lite is 10 months newer than Grok-3 Mini.

Grok-3 Mini

Feb 17, 2025

1.4 years ago

Nova 2 Lite

Dec 2, 2025

7 months ago

9mo newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Grok-3 Mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-11-17, while Nova 2 Lite's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Grok-3 Mini's training data extends to 2024-11-17, but cannot make a direct comparison without Nova 2 Lite's cutoff date.

Grok-3 Mini

Nov 2024

Nova 2 Lite

—

Provider Availability

Grok-3 Mini is available from xAI. Nova 2 Lite is available from Bedrock.

Grok-3 Mini

xai logo
xAI
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.50/1M

Nova 2 Lite

bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $0.30/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

xAI
Less expensive output tokens
Higher GPQA score (84.0% vs 79.6%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (80.4% vs 71.0%)
Amazon
Larger context window (1,000,000 tokens)
Higher AIME 2025 score (91.0% vs 90.8%)
xAIGrok-3 Mini
AmazonNova 2 Lite
Compare in Playground

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Grok-3 Mini and Nova 2 Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Grok-3 Mini
✓ Preferred
Nova 2 Lite
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
xAI
Grok-3 Mini
Amazon
Nova 2 Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Grok-3 Mini vs Nova 2 Lite.

Which is better, Grok-3 Mini or Nova 2 Lite?

Grok-3 Mini shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Grok-3 Mini is made by xAI and Nova 2 Lite is made by Amazon. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Grok-3 Mini compare to Nova 2 Lite in benchmarks?

Grok-3 Mini scores AIME 2024: 95.8%, AIME 2025: 90.8%, GPQA: 84.0%, LiveCodeBench: 80.4%. Nova 2 Lite scores AIME 2025: 91.0%, LongCodeBench: 84.0%, ScreenSpot: 83.3%, MMLU-Pro: 80.9%, GPQA: 79.6%.

Is Grok-3 Mini cheaper than Nova 2 Lite?

Both models cost $0.30 per million input tokens.

What are the context window sizes for Grok-3 Mini and Nova 2 Lite?

Grok-3 Mini supports 128K tokens and Nova 2 Lite supports 1.0M tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Grok-3 Mini and Nova 2 Lite?

Key differences include context window (128K vs 1.0M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Grok-3 Mini and Nova 2 Lite?

Grok-3 Mini is developed by xAI and Nova 2 Lite is developed by Amazon.

Related comparisons