API cost decision in 10 seconds

Nova 2 Lite vs Devstral 2 2512

Pick Devstral 2 2512 for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Devstral 2 2512 for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Devstral 2 2512 is estimated at $1.4 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.15 (9.7% lower).

Cost-first pickDevstral 2 2512
Context-first pickNova 2 Lite
Sample savings$0.159.7%
10x traffic gap$1.5

Nova 2 Lite has more context, but Devstral 2 2512 saves $0.15 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Nova 2 Lite, balanced workload favors Devstral 2 2512, and output-heavy chatbot favors Devstral 2 2512.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickNova 2 LiteDevstral 2 2512
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputNova 2 Lite$2.75$3
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputDevstral 2 2512$2.8$2.4
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputDevstral 2 2512$12.8$10.4
Cheaper input Nova 2 Lite $0.3 vs $0.4 / 1M

Nova 2 Lite is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).

Cheaper output Devstral 2 2512 $2.5 vs $2 / 1M

Devstral 2 2512 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Larger context Nova 2 Lite 1M vs 262.14K

Nova 2 Lite has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).

Sample workload Devstral 2 2512 $1.55 vs $1.4

Devstral 2 2512 is $0.15 cheaper on the standard workload (9.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Nova 2 Lite Calculating… Estimated API cost
Devstral 2 2512 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Nova 2 Lite has the lower input price; Devstral 2 2512 has the lower output price; Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Devstral 2 2512 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite and $1.4 for Devstral 2 2512.

Best Fit

Choose Nova 2 Lite when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Devstral 2 2512 when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Devstral 2 2512 is estimated at $1.4 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.15 (9.7% lower).
  • Devstral 2 2512 is $0.15 cheaper on the standard workload (9.7% lower).
  • Nova 2 Lite is $0.1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (25% lower; 1.33x difference).
  • Devstral 2 2512 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
  • Nova 2 Lite has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNova 2 Lite
(Amazon)		Devstral 2 2512
(Mistral)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.3$0.4
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$2.5$2
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$1.55$1.4
Context Window1M262.14K
Release Date
Popularity#134#144

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionDevstral 2 2512On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Devstral 2 2512 is estimated at $1.4 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.15 (9.7% lower).
High-volume input processingNova 2 LiteLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsDevstral 2 2512Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workNova 2 LiteA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Nova Micro 1.0 can replace Nova 2 Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
  • Nova Lite 1.0 can replace Nova 2 Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.18.
  • Mistral Nemo can replace Devstral 2 2512 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.04.
  • Mistral Small 3 can replace Devstral 2 2512 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
  • DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
  • MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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Amazon catalog

Review all tracked Amazon models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Mistral catalog

Check other Mistral models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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Nova 2 Lite

Nova 2 Lite is a fast, cost-effective reasoning model for everyday workloads that can process text, images, and videos to generate text. Nova 2 Lite demonstrates standout capabilities in processing...

Devstral 2 2512

Devstral 2 is a state-of-the-art open-source model by Mistral AI specializing in agentic coding. It is a 123B-parameter dense transformer model supporting a 256K context window. Devstral 2 supports exploring...