Nova 2 Lite vs LongCat 2.0
LongCat 2.0 leads Nova 2 Lite on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 19.1 to 13.4, and LongCat 2.0 costs 2.1x less per output token ($1.20 vs $2.50 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 3 benchmarks have a result for both.
Nova 2 Lite or LongCat 2.0: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Nova 2 Lite for work measured by AA Coding Index or ALE-Bench, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 3
- Nova 2 Lite only
- 28
- LongCat 2.0 only
- 5
- Like-for-like categories
- 2 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
LongCat 2.0
LongCat 2.0 leads, 19.1 against 13.4.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only LongCat 2.0 has a AA Agentic Index result, 14.0.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
LongCat 2.0
LongCat 2.0 takes 1.05M tokens against 1M.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
LongCat 2.0
Nova 2 Lite $0.0015, LongCat 2.0 $0.0009 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova 2 Lite not benchmarked, LongCat 2.0 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Coding, 20.4 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- AA Coding Index: Nova 2 Lite 23.0 against LongCat 2.0 45.3, 22.3 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova 2 Lite $2.50 against LongCat 2.0 $1.20 per million output tokens, 2.1x apart.
- Context window
- Nova 2 Lite takes 1M tokens, LongCat 2.0 1.05M.
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 | LongCat 2.0 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 2 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 3 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index02
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 23.0 | 45.3 | LongCat 2.0 |
| SciCode | Not measured | 36.3% | Only LongCat 2.0 measured |
| ALE-Bench | 236.3 | 793.5 | LongCat 2.0 |
| 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 34 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 13.4 | 19.1 | LongCat 2.0 |
| 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 | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | Not measured | 14.0 | Only LongCat 2.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 78.0% | Only LongCat 2.0 measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 33.7% | Only LongCat 2.0 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 index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 11 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 14 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index18 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 65.0% | Only LongCat 2.0 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 28 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | LongCat 2.0 | 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
LongCat 2.0 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
LongCat 2.0 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
LongCat 2.0 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 | Meituan LongCat 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | Meituan |
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | July 20, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M | 1.05M |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.50 | $1.20 |
| 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 LongCat 2.0 for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Nova 2 Lite for work measured by AA Coding Index or ALE-Bench, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Nova 2 Lite or LongCat 2.0?
Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens; LongCat 2.0 costs $0.30 and $1.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or LongCat 2.0?
LongCat 2.0, with 1.05M tokens against 1M.
How many benchmarks is the Nova 2 Lite vs LongCat 2.0 comparison based on?
3 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Nova 2 Lite's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and LongCat 2.0's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.