Model Comparison

Nova Lite vs Qwen3.8 MaxWhich is better in 2026?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Verdict: Nova Lite vs Qwen3.8 Max — which is better?

Nova Lite (by Amazon) and Qwen3.8 Max (by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team) 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.

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.

Choose Nova Lite if…

  • you want predictable pricing at $0.06/M input and $0.24/M output

Choose Qwen3.8 Max if…

  • you want the strongest raw capability — it leads on 2 of 2 shared benchmarks
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Aug 2026

Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

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.

Tue Aug 04 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Only Nova Lite specifies input context (300,000 tokens). Only Nova Lite specifies output context (2,048 tokens).

Amazon
Nova Lite
Input300,000 tokens
Output2,048 tokens
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max
Input- tokens
Output- tokens
Tue Aug 04 2026 • llm-stats.com

Input Capabilities

Supported data types and modalities

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

Text
Images
Audio
Video

Qwen3.8 Max

Text
Images
Audio
Video

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.

Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.

Nova Lite

Proprietary

Closed source

Qwen3.8 Max

Proprietary

Closed source

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.

Nova Lite

Nov 20, 2024

1.7 years ago

Qwen3.8 Max

Aug 2, 2026

2 days ago

1.7yr newer

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

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue discussion→

Key Takeaways

Amazon
Larger context window (300,000 tokens)
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Qwen3.8 Max

View details

Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team

Higher GPQA score (92.6% vs 42.0%)
Higher LVBench score (81.8% vs 40.4%)

Detailed Comparison

Interactive Arena

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Nova Lite and Qwen3.8 Max side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Nova Lite
✓ Preferred
Qwen3.8 Max
Open in Playground
AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
Amazon
Nova Lite
Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team
Qwen3.8 Max

FAQ

Common questions about Nova Lite vs Qwen3.8 Max.

Which is better, Nova Lite or Qwen3.8 Max?

Qwen3.8 Max significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Nova Lite is made by Amazon and Qwen3.8 Max is made by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.

How does Nova Lite compare to Qwen3.8 Max in benchmarks?

Nova Lite scores GSM8k: 94.5%, ARC-C: 92.4%, DocVQA: 92.4%, IFEval: 89.7%, Translation en→Set1 COMET22: 88.8%. Qwen3.8 Max scores PaperBench: 93.0%, GPQA: 92.6%, VideoMME w sub.: 90.4%, RealWorldQA: 88.0%, Terminal-Bench 2.1: 86.6%.

What are the context window sizes for Nova Lite and Qwen3.8 Max?

Nova Lite supports 300K tokens and Qwen3.8 Max supports an unknown number of tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

Who makes Nova Lite and Qwen3.8 Max?

Nova Lite is developed by Amazon and Qwen3.8 Max is developed by Alibaba Cloud / Qwen Team.

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