Nova 2 Lite vs Command R (08-2024)
Command R (08-2024) costs 4.2x less per output token than Nova 2 Lite ($0.60 vs $2.50 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 25 benchmarks have a result for both.
Nova 2 Lite or Command R (08-2024): which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Nova 2 Lite for a larger context window (1M against 128K tokens).
- Shared results
- 25
- Nova 2 Lite only
- 6
- Command R (08-2024) only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 5 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
No call
Only Nova 2 Lite has a AA Intelligence Index result, 13.4.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Nova 2 Lite
Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens against 128K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Command R (08-2024)
Nova 2 Lite $0.0015, Command R (08-2024) $0.0004 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova 2 Lite not benchmarked, Command R (08-2024) not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Coding, 33.0 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- LMArena Text: coding: Nova 2 Lite 1385 against Command R (08-2024) 1187, 33.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova 2 Lite $2.50 against Command R (08-2024) $0.60 per million output tokens, 4.2x apart.
- Context window
- Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens, Command R (08-2024) 128K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Nova 2 Lite | Bars | Command R (08-2024) | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 3 | 0 | ||
| Math | 2 | 0 | ||
| Knowledge | 4 | 0 | ||
| General | 14 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 25 | 0 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 23.0 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| ALE-Bench | 236.3 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1385 | 1187 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1394 | 1197 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
IntelligenceDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 13.4 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index30
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1364 | 1186 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1359 | 1173 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1385 | 1194 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 19 boards here | |||
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index20
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: math | 1359 | 1188 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1369 | 1198 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index40
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: science | 1382 | 1252 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1386 | 1238 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1359 | 1268 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1369 | 1215 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 14 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index140
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1362 | 1229 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1335 | 1197 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1292 | 1234 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: English | 1385 | 1238 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1337 | 1216 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1364 | 1227 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: German | 1343 | 1216 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1273 | 1166 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1281 | 1162 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: French | 1381 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1375 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1342 | 1227 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Polish | 1327 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1338 | 1213 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1335 | 1230 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1318 | 1241 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1309 | 1223 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 29 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Command R (08-2024) | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Command R (08-2024) costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Command R (08-2024) costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Command R (08-2024) costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Amazon Nova 2 Lite | Cohere Command R (08-2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | Cohere |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | August 30, 2024 |
| Context window | 1M | 128K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.30 | $0.15 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.50 | $0.60 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Nova 2 Lite better than Command R (08-2024) for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Nova 2 Lite for a larger context window (1M against 128K tokens).
Which is cheaper, Nova 2 Lite or Command R (08-2024)?
Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens; Command R (08-2024) costs $0.15 and $0.60. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or Command R (08-2024)?
Nova 2 Lite, with 1M tokens against 128K.
How many benchmarks is the Nova 2 Lite vs Command R (08-2024) comparison based on?
25 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Nova 2 Lite's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Command R (08-2024)'s on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.