GPT-5.1 Codex mini vs Nova 2 Lite
Nova 2 Lite comes out ahead, 62 to 59 on our weighted score, though GPT-5.1 Codex mini is 26% cheaper per token.
OpenAIGPT-5.1 Codex mini
59/100- ECI—
- Price$0.25 / $2.00
- Context400K
- Our pick
AmazonNova 2 Lite
62/100- ECI—
- Price$0.33 / $2.75
- Context1M
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Nova 2 Lite is our pick
Nova 2 Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against GPT-5.1 Codex mini (59). It leads on inputs & features and context window. GPT-5.1 Codex mini wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceGPT-5.1 Codex miniGPT-5.1 Codex mini $0.688 · Nova 2 Lite $0.935 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextNova 2 LiteNova 2 Lite 1,000,000 · GPT-5.1 Codex mini 400,000 tokens
- Widest inputsNova 2 LiteGPT-5.1 Codex mini: Text, Images · Nova 2 Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Video
- Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
| Measure | Weight | GPT-5.1 Codex mini | Nova 2 Lite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 58 | 51 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 80 |
| Context window | 20% | 44 | 60 |
| Overall | 100% | 59/100 | 62/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | GPT-5.1 Codex miniOpenAI | Nova 2 LiteAmazon |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.25 (best) | $0.33 |
| Output | $2.00 (best) | $2.75 |
| Cached input | — | $0.083 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.688 (best) | $0.935 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 10 providers | Official Amazon Bedrock API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 400,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 128,000 tokens (best) | 65,536 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes |
| PDFs | No | Yes |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | Yes |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yeslow · medium · high |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | — | amazon.nova-2-lite-v1:0 |
| API providers | 10 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Nov 13, 2025 | Dec 2, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Sep 30, 2024 | Oct 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- GPT-5.1 Codex mini$6.50
- Nova 2 Lite$8.80
Which should you choose?
Which is better: GPT-5.1 Codex mini or Nova 2 Lite?
Nova 2 Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against GPT-5.1 Codex mini (59). It leads on inputs & features and context window. GPT-5.1 Codex mini wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.1 Codex mini or Nova 2 Lite?
GPT-5.1 Codex mini is cheaper at $0.25 input / $2.00 output per million tokens (median across 10 API providers). Nova 2 Lite costs $0.33 input / $2.75 output per million tokens (official Amazon Bedrock API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.688 per million tokens for GPT-5.1 Codex mini versus $0.935 for Nova 2 Lite (1.4× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. GPT-5.1 Codex mini has not been scored yet and Nova 2 Lite has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GPT-5.1 Codex mini and Nova 2 Lite yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Nova 2 Lite has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 400,000 for GPT-5.1 Codex mini. Maximum output per response: GPT-5.1 Codex mini up to 128,000, Nova 2 Lite up to 65,536 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
GPT-5.1 Codex mini accepts text and images; Nova 2 Lite accepts text, images, PDFs and video. Nova 2 Lite handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
No. GPT-5.1 Codex mini and Nova 2 Lite are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.
Which is newer?
Nova 2 Lite is the newest, released Dec 2, 2025. GPT-5.1 Codex mini came out Nov 13, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GPT-5.1 Codex mini Sep 30, 2024, Nova 2 Lite Oct 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
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