Nova 2 Lite vs MiniMax M1
Nova 2 Lite leads MiniMax M1 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 13.4 to 11.7, at about the same output price ($2.50 vs $2.20 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 29 benchmarks have a result for both.
Nova 2 Lite or MiniMax M1: 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 LMArena Text: math or LMArena Text: creative writing, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 29
- Nova 2 Lite only
- 2
- MiniMax M1 only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 6 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 11.7.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 1M tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
MiniMax M1
Nova 2 Lite $0.0015, MiniMax M1 $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova 2 Lite not benchmarked, MiniMax M1 not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Knowledge, 5.5 points apart on average over 4 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- LMArena Text: Japanese: Nova 2 Lite 1273 against MiniMax M1 1217, 9.4 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova 2 Lite $2.50 against MiniMax M1 $2.20 per million output tokens, 1.1x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 1M tokens.
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 | MiniMax M1 | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 2 | 0 | ||
| Intelligence | 1 | 0 | ||
| Reasoning | 3 | 0 | ||
| Math | 1 | 1 | ||
| Knowledge | 4 | 0 | ||
| General | 14 | 3 | ||
| All shared boards | 25 | 4 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index20
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | MiniMax M1 | 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 | 1359 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1394 | 1359 | Nova 2 Lite |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index10
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 13.4 | 11.7 | Nova 2 Lite |
| 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 | MiniMax M1 | 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 | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1364 | 1339 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1359 | 1317 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1385 | 1353 | 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 index11
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: math | 1359 | 1361 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1369 | 1363 | 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 | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text: science | 1382 | 1354 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1386 | 1355 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1359 | 1337 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1369 | 1319 | 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 | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index143
| Benchmark | Nova 2 Lite | MiniMax M1 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1362 | 1343 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1335 | 1312 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1292 | 1297 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: English | 1385 | 1363 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1337 | 1319 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1364 | 1360 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: German | 1343 | 1350 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1273 | 1217 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1281 | 1266 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: French | 1381 | 1370 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1375 | 1353 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1342 | 1329 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: Polish | 1327 | 1329 | MiniMax M1 |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1338 | 1335 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1335 | 1326 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1318 | 1311 | Nova 2 Lite |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1309 | 1303 | 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 | MiniMax M1 | 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
MiniMax M1 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Nova 2 Lite costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Nova 2 Lite 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 | MiniMax M1 |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | MiniMax |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | June 17, 2025 |
| Context window | 1M | 1M |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.30 | $0.40 |
| Output $/Mtok | $2.50 | $2.20 |
| 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 MiniMax M1 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 LMArena Text: math or LMArena Text: creative writing, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Nova 2 Lite or MiniMax M1?
Nova 2 Lite costs $0.30 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens; MiniMax M1 costs $0.40 and $2.20. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova 2 Lite or MiniMax M1?
Neither: both take 1M tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Nova 2 Lite vs MiniMax M1 comparison based on?
29 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Nova 2 Lite's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and MiniMax M1's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.