Nova 2 Lite is $0.06 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct vs Nova 2 Lite
Pick Qwen2.5 72B Instruct 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 Qwen2.5 72B Instruct for lower cost; pick Nova 2 Lite only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.99 (63.9% lower).
Cost-first pickQwen2.5 72B Instruct
Context-first pickNova 2 Lite
Sample savings$0.9963.9%
10x traffic gap$9.9
Nova 2 Lite has more context, but Qwen2.5 72B Instruct saves $0.99 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | Nova 2 Lite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $2 | $2.75 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $0.76 | $2.8 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | $2.36 | $12.8 |
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $2.1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
Nova 2 Lite has 868.93K more context (7.63x larger).
Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $0.99 cheaper on the standard workload (63.9% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
Nova 2 Lite has the lower input price; Qwen2.5 72B Instruct has the lower output price; Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.56 for Qwen2.5 72B Instruct and $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite.
Choose Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when you care most about lower output-token price.
Choose Nova 2 Lite when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.99 (63.9% lower).
- Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $0.99 cheaper on the standard workload (63.9% lower).
- Nova 2 Lite is $0.06 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
- Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is $2.1 cheaper per 1M output tokens (84% lower; 6.25x difference).
- Nova 2 Lite has 868.93K more context (7.63x larger).
| Feature | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct (Qwen) | Nova 2 Lite (Amazon) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.36 | $0.3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.4 | $2.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.56 | $1.55 |
| Context Window | 131.07K | 1M |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #137 | #146 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Qwen2.5 72B Instruct is estimated at $0.56 vs $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite, saving $0.99 (63.9% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Nova 2 Lite | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Qwen2.5 72B Instruct | 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
- Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Instruct (free) can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen2.5 72B Instruct when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- 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.
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #1
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #2
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
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