Model Comparison
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct vs Nova MicroWhich is better in 2026?
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks. Nova Micro is 6.3x cheaper per token.
Verdict: Llama 3.2 90B Instruct vs Nova Micro — which is better?
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct (by Meta) and Nova Micro (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.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU), while Nova Micro is better at 1 benchmark (MATH). Llama 3.2 90B Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
On price, Nova Micro is roughly 6.3x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Choose Llama 3.2 90B Instruct if…
- you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 3 shared benchmarks
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Nova Micro if…
- cost matters — it's about 6.3x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Nov 2024
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct outperforms in 2 benchmarks (GPQA, MMLU), while Nova Micro is better at 1 benchmark (MATH).
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct shows notably better performance in the majority of benchmarks.
Arena Performance
Human preference votes
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.35/1M tokens) is 11.7x more expensive than Nova Micro ($0.03/1M tokens).
For output processing, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct ($0.40/1M tokens) is 2.9x more expensive than Nova Micro ($0.14/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is more expensive than Nova Micro.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. Both models can generate responses up to 128,000 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct supports multimodal inputs, whereas Nova Micro does not.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Nova Micro
License
Usage and distribution terms
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.2, while Nova Micro uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Llama 3.2
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct was released on 2024-09-25, while Nova Micro was released on 2024-11-20.
Nova Micro is 2 months newer than Llama 3.2 90B Instruct.
Sep 25, 2024
1.8 years ago
Nov 20, 2024
1.7 years ago
1mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct is available from DeepInfra, Bedrock, Fireworks, Together, Hyperbolic. Nova Micro is available from Bedrock.
Llama 3.2 90B Instruct
Nova Micro
Outputs Comparison
Key Takeaways
Nova Micro
View detailsAmazon
Detailed Comparison
Interactive Arena
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Llama 3.2 90B Instruct and Nova Micro side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
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FAQ
Common questions about Llama 3.2 90B Instruct vs Nova Micro.