Side-by-side comparison of pricing, 12 benchmarks, and generation speed.
| Metric | Nova Lite | Mistral Small 3.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/M tokens) | $0.06 | $0.105 |
| Output ($/M tokens) | $0.24 | $0.235 |
Data from Artificial Analysis API — 12 benchmarks
Nova Lite is cheaper overall. Its blended price (3:1 input/output ratio) is $0.10/M tokens vs $0.14/M for Mistral Small 3.1.
Mistral Small 3.1 wins 8 out of 12 benchmarks compared to 4 for Nova Lite. See the detailed benchmark chart above for per-category results.
Nova Lite generates tokens faster at 211 tok/s vs 142 tok/s. However, Mistral Small 3.1 has lower time-to-first-token (0.51s vs 0.70s).
Choose based on your priorities: Nova Lite for lower cost, Mistral Small 3.1 for stronger benchmark performance, and Nova Lite for faster generation. For latency-sensitive apps, check the TTFT comparison above.