Nova 2 Lite vs Granite 4.0 Micro
Nova 2 Lite leads Granite 4.0 Micro on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 13.4 to 5.1, and Granite 4.0 Micro costs 22.3x less per output token ($0.112 vs $2.50 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 1 benchmarks have a result for both.
Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.0 Micro: 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 131K tokens).
- Shared results
- 1
- Nova 2 Lite only
- 30
- Granite 4.0 Micro only
- 12
- Like-for-like categories
- 1 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
Nova 2 Lite
Nova 2 Lite leads, 13.4 against 5.1.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
Nova 2 Lite
Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens against 131K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Granite 4.0 Micro
Nova 2 Lite $0.0015, Granite 4.0 Micro $0.0001 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova 2 Lite not benchmarked, Granite 4.0 Micro not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Intelligence, 8.3 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- AA Intelligence Index: Nova 2 Lite 13.4 against Granite 4.0 Micro 5.1, 8.3 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova 2 Lite $2.50 against Granite 4.0 Micro $0.112 per million output tokens, 22.3x apart.
- Context window
- Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens, Granite 4.0 Micro 131K.
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 | Granite 4.0 Micro | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| All shared boards | 1 | 0 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index6 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 23.0 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 18.0% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 1.5% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| ALE-Bench | 236.3 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1385 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1394 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 37 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 13.4 | 5.1 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 12.6% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index6 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 33.6% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 5.0% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | Not measured | 28.3% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1364 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1359 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1385 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | Not measured | 6.0 | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 6.0% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| OTIS Mock AIME | Not measured | 2.8% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1359 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1369 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 44.7% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1382 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1386 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1359 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1369 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 15 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index19 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | Granite 4.0 Micro | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | Not measured | 24.8% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 7.0% | Only Granite 4.0 Micro measured |
| LMArena Text | 1362 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1335 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1292 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: English | 1385 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1337 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1364 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: German | 1343 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1273 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1281 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| 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 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: Polish | 1327 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1338 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1335 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1318 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1309 | Not measured | Only Nova 2 Lite measured |
| 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 | Granite 4.0 Micro | 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
Granite 4.0 Micro costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Granite 4.0 Micro costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Granite 4.0 Micro 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 | IBM Granite 4.0 Micro |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | IBM Granite |
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | October 20, 2025 |
| Context window | 1M | 131K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.30 | $0.017 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.50 | $0.112 |
| 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 Granite 4.0 Micro 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 131K tokens).
Which is cheaper, Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.0 Micro?
Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens; Granite 4.0 Micro costs $0.017 and $0.112. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.0 Micro?
Nova 2 Lite, with 1M tokens against 131K.
How many benchmarks is the Nova 2 Lite vs Granite 4.0 Micro comparison based on?
1 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Nova 2 Lite's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Granite 4.0 Micro's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.