API cost decision in 10 seconds

Nova 2 Lite vs GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini

Pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated: 2026-05-26T11:08:00Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is estimated at $1.25 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.3 (19.4% lower).

Cost-first pickGPT-5.1-Codex-Mini

Context-first pickNova 2 Lite

Sample savings$0.319.4%

10x traffic gap$3

Nova 2 Lite has more context, but GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini saves $0.3 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $3. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Nova 2 Lite	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	$2.75	$2.25
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	$2.8	$2.25
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	$12.8	$10.25

Cheaper input GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini $0.3 vs $0.25 / 1M

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).

Cheaper output GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini $2.5 vs $2 / 1M

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Larger context Nova 2 Lite 1M vs 400K

Nova 2 Lite has 600K more context (2.5x larger).

Sample workload GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini $1.55 vs $1.25

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.3 cheaper on the standard workload (19.4% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Nova 2 Lite Calculating… Estimated API cost

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini 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

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has the lower input price; GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini has the lower output price; Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini 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 $1.25 for GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini.

Best Fit

Choose Nova 2 Lite when you care most about larger context window.

Choose GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is estimated at $1.25 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.3 (19.4% lower).
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.3 cheaper on the standard workload (19.4% lower).
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.05 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Nova 2 Lite has 600K more context (2.5x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Nova 2 Lite (Amazon)	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini (OpenAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.3	$0.25
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2.5	$2
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$1.55	$1.25
Context Window	1M	400K
Release Date	2025-12-02	2025-11-13

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is estimated at $1.25 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.3 (19.4% lower).
High-volume input processing	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Nova 2 Lite	A 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.
gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers 1.05M context with $1 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

No popular competitor is currently available.

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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Amazon catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini

GPT-5.1-Codex-Mini is a smaller and faster version of GPT-5.1-Codex