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Nova 2 Lite vs Granite 4.2 8B

Nova 2 Lite leads Granite 4.2 8B on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 13.4 to 11.1, and Granite 4.2 8B costs 12.5x less per output token ($0.20 vs $2.50 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 22 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Nova 2 Lite Replace Granite 4.2 8B
Nova 2 LiteAmazon
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$2.50
20
Granite 4.2 8BIBM Granite
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.20
2
vs boards won of 22 shared

Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.2 8B: 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) and work measured by LMArena Text: expert or LMArena Text: Chinese, where it leads.

Model ANova 2 LiteAmazonNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BGranite 4.2 8BIBM GraniteNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
22
Nova 2 Lite only
9
Granite 4.2 8B only
5
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.

At a glance

Coding index
Nova 2 Lite not benchmarked, Granite 4.2 8B not benchmarked.
Widest category
Knowledge, 7.3 points apart on average over 4 shared benchmarks.
Widest single gap
LMArena Text: Russian: Nova 2 Lite 1342 against Granite 4.2 8B 1282, 10.1 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Nova 2 Lite $2.50 against Granite 4.2 8B $0.20 per million output tokens, 12.5x apart.
Context window
Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens, Granite 4.2 8B 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.

Boards won, where both have a result
CategoryNova 2 LiteBarsGranite 4.2 8BTies
Coding30
Intelligence10
Reasoning21
Knowledge40
General101
All shared boards202
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index30
Coding benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Coding Index23.022.4Nova 2 Lite
SciCodeNot measured31.5%Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
ALE-Bench236.3Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: coding13851378Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: software and IT13941367Nova 2 Lite
Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
Intelligence benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Intelligence Index13.411.1Nova 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
Agentic work benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
AA Agentic IndexNot measured1.3Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index21
Reasoning benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured63.1%Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)Not measured9.7%Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text: hard prompts13641327Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: expert13591386Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English13851345Nova 2 Lite
Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
Math benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
LMArena Text: math1359Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: mathematical work1369Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index40
Knowledge benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
LMArena Text: science13821336Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare13861336Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: legal and government13591327Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: business and finance13691322Nova 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
Web design benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
Neither model has a result on 9 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index101
General benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)Not measured45.0%Only Granite 4.2 8B measured
LMArena Text13621319Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: instruction following13351300Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: creative writing12921236Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: English13851337Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: non-English13371301Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: Chinese13641367Granite 4.2 8B
LMArena Text: German1343Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: Japanese1273Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: Korean1281Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: French1381Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: Spanish1375Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: Russian13421282Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: Polish1327Not measuredOnly Nova 2 Lite measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn13381301Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: longer queries13351325Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: writing and language13181269Nova 2 Lite
LMArena Text: entertainment and media13091271Nova 2 Lite
Neither model has a result on the other 28 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
BenchmarkNova 2 LiteGranite 4.2 8BLeader
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

Nova 2 Lite$0.0015Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.0002Fits in one request

Granite 4.2 8B costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Nova 2 Lite$0.022Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.0046Fits in one request

Granite 4.2 8B costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Nova 2 Lite$0.085Fits in one request
Granite 4.2 8B$0.018Exceeds the context window

Granite 4.2 8B 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.

Specifications of Nova 2 Lite and Granite 4.2 8B
SpecificationAmazon Nova 2 LiteIBM Granite 4.2 8B
MakerAmazonIBM Granite
WeightsNo public weights listedOpen weights
ReleasedDecember 2, 2025August 31, 2026
Context window1M131K
Input $/Mtok$0.30$0.08
Output $/Mtok$2.50$0.20
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it00
Cost per solved taskNot computableNot computable
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Nova 2 Lite better than Granite 4.2 8B 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) and work measured by LMArena Text: expert or LMArena Text: Chinese, where it leads.

Which is cheaper, Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.2 8B?

Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens; Granite 4.2 8B costs $0.08 and $0.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.

Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or Granite 4.2 8B?

Nova 2 Lite, with 1M tokens against 131K.

How many benchmarks is the Nova 2 Lite vs Granite 4.2 8B comparison based on?

22 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 4.2 8B's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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