Model Comparison

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) vs Nova Lite

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is 1.0x cheaper per token.

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

1 benchmarks

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Nova Lite is better at 0 benchmarks.

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) costs less

For input processing, Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) ($0.10/1M tokens) is 1.7x more expensive than Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens).

For output processing, Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) ($0.10/1M tokens) is 2.4x cheaper than Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Nova Lite is more expensive than Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512).*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com
Mistral AI
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.10
Best providerMistral
Amazon
Nova Lite
Input tokens$0.06
Output tokens$0.24
Best providerAWS Bedrock
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Nova Lite accepts 300,000 input tokens compared to Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)'s 131,100 tokens. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) can generate longer responses up to 131,100 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.

Mistral AI
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
Input131,100 tokens
Output131,100 tokens
Amazon
Nova Lite
Input300,000 tokens
Output2,048 tokens
Thu Apr 16 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

Both Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) and Nova Lite support multimodal inputs.

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

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Nova Lite

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Nova Lite uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Nova Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) was released on 2025-12-04, while Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20.

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is 13 months newer than Nova Lite.

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)

Dec 4, 2025

4 months ago

1.0yr newer
Nova Lite

Nov 20, 2024

1.4 years ago

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

Provider Availability

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is available from Mistral AI. Nova Lite is available from Bedrock.

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)

mistral logo
Mistral
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M

Nova Lite

bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $0.06/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.24/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion

Key Takeaways

Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Higher GPQA score (53.4% vs 42.0%)
Larger context window (300,000 tokens)
Less expensive input tokens

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Mistral AI
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512)
Amazon
Nova Lite

FAQ

Common questions about Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) vs Nova Lite

Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is made by Mistral AI and Nova Lite is made by Amazon. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) scores AIME 2024: 77.5%, AIME 2025: 72.1%, LiveCodeBench: 54.8%, GPQA: 53.4%. Nova Lite scores GSM8k: 94.5%, ARC-C: 92.4%, DocVQA: 92.4%, IFEval: 89.7%, Translation en→Set1 COMET22: 88.8%.
Nova Lite is 1.7x cheaper for input tokens. Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) costs $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output via mistral. Nova Lite costs $0.06/M input and $0.24/M output via bedrock.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) supports 131K tokens and Nova Lite supports 300K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include context window (131K vs 300K), input pricing ($0.10 vs $0.06/M), licensing (Apache 2.0 vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
Min istral 3 (3B Reasoning 2512) is developed by Mistral AI and Nova Lite is developed by Amazon.