Inkling 2 Small vs Nova Lite
Inkling 2 Small leads the LLM Stats Score 47.1 to 7.0. Nova Lite is 4.5x cheaper per token.
Thinking Machines Lab · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Inkling 2 Small leads the overall LLM Stats Score 47.1 to 7.0, ranking #41 overall.
In the 1 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Inkling 2 Small wins 1; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Nova Lite is roughly 4.5x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Nova Lite also accepts a larger context window (300,000 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 Inkling 2 Small
- overall performance matters — it scores 47.1 and ranks #41 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 1 of 1 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2026
Choose Nova Lite
- cost matters — it's about 4.5x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 300,000 token context window
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
11 reported for Inkling 2 Small · 27 for Nova Lite
Inkling 2 Small outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Nova Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.
Inkling 2 Small 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, Inkling 2 Small ($0.30/1M tokens) is 5.0x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).
For output processing, Inkling 2 Small ($1.00/1M tokens) is 4.2x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Inkling 2 Small is more expensive than Nova Lite.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Nova Lite accepts 300,000 input tokens compared to Inkling 2 Small's 256,000 tokens. Only Nova Lite specifies output context (2,048 tokens).
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Inkling 2 Small and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Inkling 2 Small
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
Inkling 2 Small was released on 2026-11-05, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.
Inkling 2 Small is 24 months newer than Nova Lite.
Nov 5, 2026
5 days ago
2.0yr newerNov 20, 2024
2.0 years ago
Knowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Inkling 2 Small is available from Thinking Machines Lab. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.
Inkling 2 Small
Nova Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Inkling 2 Small and Nova Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Inkling 2 Small vs Nova Lite.