Nova Lite vs Qwen3.8 Max
Qwen3.8 Max leads the LLM Stats Score 51.9 to 7.6. Nova Lite is 23.6x cheaper per token.
Amazon · Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Qwen3.8 Max leads the overall LLM Stats Score 51.9 to 7.6, ranking #11 overall.
In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Qwen3.8 Max wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Nova Lite is roughly 23.6x 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 Nova Lite
- cost matters — it's about 23.6x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 300,000 token context window
Choose Qwen3.8 Max
- overall performance matters — it scores 51.9 and ranks #11 on LLM Stats
- your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
27 reported for Nova Lite · 42 for Qwen3.8 Max
Nova Lite outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Qwen3.8 Max is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LVBench).
Qwen3.8 Max 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, Nova Lite ($0.06/1M tokens) is 27.5x cheaper than Qwen3.8 Max ($1.65/1M tokens).
For output processing, Nova Lite ($0.24/1M tokens) is 20.6x cheaper than Qwen3.8 Max ($4.95/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Qwen3.8 Max 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 Qwen3.8 Max's 256,000 tokens. Qwen3.8 Max can generate longer responses up to 256,000 tokens, while Nova Lite is limited to 2,048 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Both Nova Lite and Qwen3.8 Max support multimodal inputs.
They are both capable of processing various types of data, offering versatility in application.
Nova Lite
Qwen3.8 Max
License
Usage and distribution terms
Nova Lite is licensed under a proprietary license, while Qwen3.8 Max uses Qwen3.8-Max License.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
Qwen3.8-Max License
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Nova Lite was released on 2024-11-20, while Qwen3.8 Max was released on 2026-08-02.
Qwen3.8 Max is 21 months newer than Nova Lite.
Nov 20, 2024
1.8 years ago
Aug 2, 2026
1 months ago
1.7yr newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.
Unable to compare the recency of their training data.
Provider Availability
Nova Lite is available from Bedrock. Qwen3.8 Max is available from DeepInfra, Fireworks, Novita, Together.
Nova Lite
Qwen3.8 Max
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Nova Lite and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Nova Lite vs Qwen3.8 Max.