API cost decision in 10 seconds

Nova Micro 1.0 vs Nova 2 Lite

Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T15:08:08Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T20:08:05Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Nova Micro 1.0 for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $1.45 (93.2% lower).

Cost-first pickNova Micro 1.0

Context-first pickNova 2 Lite

Sample savings$1.4593.2%

10x traffic gap$14.45

Nova 2 Lite has more context, but Nova Micro 1.0 saves $1.45 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $14.45. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Nova Micro 1.0 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Nova Micro 1.0	Nova 2 Lite
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Nova Micro 1.0	$0.25	$2.75
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Nova Micro 1.0	$0.18	$2.8
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Nova Micro 1.0	$0.74	$12.8

Cheaper input Nova Micro 1.0 $0.035 vs $0.3 / 1M

Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.27 cheaper per 1M input tokens (88.3% lower; 8.57x difference).

Cheaper output Nova Micro 1.0 $0.14 vs $2.5 / 1M

Nova Micro 1.0 is $2.36 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 17.9x difference).

Larger context Nova 2 Lite 128K vs 1M

Nova 2 Lite has 872K more context (7.81x larger).

Sample workload Nova Micro 1.0 $0.11 vs $1.55

Nova Micro 1.0 is $1.45 cheaper on the standard workload (93.2% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Nova Micro 1.0 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Nova 2 Lite 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 Micro 1.0 has the lower input price; Nova Micro 1.0 has the lower output price; Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nova Micro 1.0 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.11 for Nova Micro 1.0 and $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite.

Best Fit

Choose Nova Micro 1.0 when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

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

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $1.45 (93.2% lower).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $1.45 cheaper on the standard workload (93.2% lower).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $0.27 cheaper per 1M input tokens (88.3% lower; 8.57x difference).
Nova Micro 1.0 is $2.36 cheaper per 1M output tokens (94.4% lower; 17.9x difference).
Nova 2 Lite has 872K more context (7.81x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Nova Micro 1.0 (Amazon)	Nova 2 Lite (Amazon)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.035	$0.3
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.14	$2.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.11	$1.55
Context Window	128K	1M
Release Date	2024-12-05	2025-12-02
Popularity	#146	#149

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Nova Micro 1.0	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova Micro 1.0 is estimated at $0.11 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $1.45 (93.2% lower).
High-volume input processing	Nova Micro 1.0	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Nova Micro 1.0	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 Lite 1.0 can replace Nova 2 Lite when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.18.

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.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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

Open provider hubs

Amazon catalog

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

Open Amazon models

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Nova 2 Lite

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