Nova 2 Lite is $0.09 cheaper per 1M input tokens (23.1% lower; 1.3x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Qwen3.5 397B A17B vs Nova 2 Lite
Pick Nova 2 Lite when budget and context both matter.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Nova 2 Lite when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova 2 Lite is estimated at $1.55 vs $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B, saving $0.01 (0.6% lower).
Cost-first pickNova 2 Lite
Context-first pickNova 2 Lite
Sample savings$0.010.6%
10x traffic gap$0.1
Nova 2 Lite is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.1. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Nova 2 Lite, balanced workload favors Qwen3.5 397B A17B, and output-heavy chatbot favors Qwen3.5 397B A17B.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Qwen3.5 397B A17B | Nova 2 Lite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Nova 2 Lite | $3.12 | $2.75 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Qwen3.5 397B A17B | $2.73 | $2.8 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Qwen3.5 397B A17B | $12.09 | $12.8 |
Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $0.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.4% lower; 1.07x difference).
Nova 2 Lite has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
Nova 2 Lite is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (0.6% 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; Qwen3.5 397B A17B has the lower output price; Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Nova 2 Lite is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B and $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite.
Choose Qwen3.5 397B A17B 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, Nova 2 Lite is estimated at $1.55 vs $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B, saving $0.01 (0.6% lower).
- Nova 2 Lite is $0.01 cheaper on the standard workload (0.6% lower).
- Nova 2 Lite is $0.09 cheaper per 1M input tokens (23.1% lower; 1.3x difference).
- Qwen3.5 397B A17B is $0.16 cheaper per 1M output tokens (6.4% lower; 1.07x difference).
- Nova 2 Lite has 737.86K more context (3.81x larger).
| Feature | Qwen3.5 397B A17B (Qwen) | Nova 2 Lite (Amazon) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.39 | $0.3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $2.34 | $2.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $1.56 | $1.55 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Nova 2 Lite | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova 2 Lite is estimated at $1.55 vs $1.56 for Qwen3.5 397B A17B, saving $0.01 (0.6% 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 | Qwen3.5 397B A17B | 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 Qwen3.5 397B A17B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B (free) can replace Qwen3.5 397B A17B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Qwen2.5 7B Instruct can replace Qwen3.5 397B A17B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Qwen3.5-9B can replace Qwen3.5 397B A17B 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.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
- Claude Sonnet 4.6 · Anthropic · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsQwen catalog
Review all tracked Qwen models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Qwen modelsAmazon catalog
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