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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Nova Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite comes out ahead, 85 to 77 on our weighted score, though Nova Lite is 40% cheaper per token.

  1. Amazon

    Nova Lite

    Released Dec 3, 2024

    77/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.06 / $0.24
    • Context300K
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite

    Released Jun 17, 2025

    85/100
    • ECI133.9
    • Price$0.10 / $0.40
    • Context1.05M
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is our pick

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 85/100 against Nova Lite (77). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Nova Lite 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 priceNova LiteNova Lite $0.105 · Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite $0.175 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite 1,048,576 · Nova Lite 300,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteNova Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Video · Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightNova LiteGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
Price50%9686
Inputs & features30%70100
Context window20%3961
Overall100%77/10085/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Nova Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite specifications side by side
SpecificationNova LiteAmazonGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGoogle
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—133.9
ECI rank—#118 of 148
Price per million tokens
Input$0.06 (best)$0.10
Output$0.24 (best)$0.40
Cached input$0.015$0.01 (best)
Blended (3:1)$0.105 (best)$0.175
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Amazon Bedrock APIOfficial Google API
Limits
Context window300,000 tokens1,048,576 tokens (best)
Max output10,000 tokens65,536 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsYesYes
AudioNoYes
VideoYesYes
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDamazon.nova-lite-v1:0gemini-2.5-flash-lite
API providers320 (best)
ReleasedDec 3, 2024Jun 17, 2025
Knowledge cutoffOct 2024Jan 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • Nova Lite$1.08
  • Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$1.80
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Nova Lite or Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 85/100 against Nova Lite (77). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Nova Lite 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, Nova Lite or Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite?

Nova Lite is cheaper at $0.06 input / $0.24 output per million tokens (official Amazon Bedrock API price). Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.10 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official Google API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.105 per million tokens for Nova Lite versus $0.175 for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite (1.7× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Nova Lite has not been scored yet and Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has an ECI of 133.9.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Nova Lite and Gemini 2.5 Flash-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?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 300,000 for Nova Lite. Maximum output per response: Nova Lite up to 10,000, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite up to 65,536 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Nova Lite accepts text, images, PDFs and video; Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. Nova Lite and Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is the newest, released Jun 17, 2025. Nova Lite came out Dec 3, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Nova Lite Oct 2024, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite Jan 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.