MiniMax M1 80K vs Nova 2 Lite
MiniMax M1 80K and Nova 2 Lite are closely matched at 21.4 and 25.4 on the LLM Stats Score. Nova 2 Lite is 1.1x cheaper per token.
MiniMax · Amazon · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
MiniMax M1 80K and Nova 2 Lite are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 21.4 and 25.4.
In the 6 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Nova 2 Lite wins 5; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Nova 2 Lite is roughly 1.1x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose MiniMax M1 80K
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
Choose Nova 2 Lite
- your work emphasizes reasoning — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 5 of 6 exact shared results
- cost matters — it's about 1.1x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Dec 2025
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
16 reported for MiniMax M1 80K · 19 for Nova 2 Lite
MiniMax M1 80K outperforms in 1 benchmarks (MMLU-Pro), while Nova 2 Lite is better at 5 benchmarks (AIME 2025, GPQA, LiveCodeBench, Multi-Challenge, SWE-Bench Verified).
Nova 2 Lite 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, MiniMax M1 80K ($0.55/1M tokens) is 1.8x more expensive than Nova 2 Lite ($0.30/1M tokens).
For output processing, MiniMax M1 80K ($2.20/1M tokens) is 1.1x cheaper than Nova 2 Lite ($2.50/1M tokens).
In conclusion, MiniMax M1 80K is more expensive than Nova 2 Lite.*
* 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 1,000,000 tokens. Nova 2 Lite can generate longer responses up to 65,536 tokens, while MiniMax M1 80K is limited to 40,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Nova 2 Lite supports multimodal inputs, whereas MiniMax M1 80K does not.
Nova 2 Lite can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
MiniMax M1 80K
Nova 2 Lite
License
Usage and distribution terms
MiniMax M1 80K is licensed under MIT, while Nova 2 Lite uses a proprietary license.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
MIT
Open weights
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
MiniMax M1 80K was released on 2025-06-16, while Nova 2 Lite was released on 2025-12-02.
Nova 2 Lite is 6 months newer than MiniMax M1 80K.
Jun 16, 2025
1.3 years ago
Dec 2, 2025
10 months ago
5mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
MiniMax M1 80K is available from Novita. Nova 2 Lite is available from Bedrock.
MiniMax M1 80K
Nova 2 Lite
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against MiniMax M1 80K and Nova 2 Lite side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about MiniMax M1 80K vs Nova 2 Lite.