API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewGrok Build 0.1 vs Nova 2 Lite

Pick Nova 2 Lite when budget and context both matter.

Pricing data updated: 2026-05-26T11:08:00Z 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 $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.45 (22.5% lower).

Cost-first pickNova 2 Lite

Context-first pickNova 2 Lite

Sample savings$0.4522.5%

10x traffic gap$4.5

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 $4.5. 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 Nova 2 Lite, and output-heavy chatbot favors Grok Build 0.1.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Grok Build 0.1	Nova 2 Lite
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Nova 2 Lite	$6	$2.75
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Nova 2 Lite	$3	$2.8
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Grok Build 0.1	$11	$12.8

Cheaper input Nova 2 Lite $1 vs $0.3 / 1M

Nova 2 Lite is $0.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).

Cheaper output Grok Build 0.1 $2 vs $2.5 / 1M

Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).

Larger context Nova 2 Lite 256K vs 1M

Nova 2 Lite has 744K more context (3.91x larger).

Sample workload Nova 2 Lite $2 vs $1.55

Nova 2 Lite is $0.45 cheaper on the standard workload (22.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Grok Build 0.1 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 2 Lite has the lower input price; Grok Build 0.1 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 $2 for Grok Build 0.1 and $1.55 for Nova 2 Lite.

Best Fit

Choose Grok Build 0.1 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.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Nova 2 Lite is estimated at $1.55 vs $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.45 (22.5% lower).
Nova 2 Lite is $0.45 cheaper on the standard workload (22.5% lower).
Nova 2 Lite is $0.7 cheaper per 1M input tokens (70% lower; 3.33x difference).
Grok Build 0.1 is $0.5 cheaper per 1M output tokens (20% lower; 1.25x difference).
Nova 2 Lite has 744K more context (3.91x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewGrok Build 0.1 (xAI)	Nova 2 Lite (Amazon)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$1	$0.3
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$2	$2.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$2	$1.55
Context Window	256K	1M
Release Date	2026-05-20	2025-12-02

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 $2 for Grok Build 0.1, saving $0.45 (22.5% 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	Grok Build 0.1	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.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 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.

Popular competitors

No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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

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Larger context alternatives

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

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Provider catalogs

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xAI catalog

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Amazon catalog

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

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