Amazon Nova Lite vs IBM Granite 3.1 8B

Compare Amazon Nova Lite and IBM Granite 3.1 8B: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Amazon Nova Lite IBM Granite 3.1 8B
CategoryCompactEnterprise
Parameters~40B8B
Context Window300K128K
Input Price$0.003/1M tokens$0.01/1M tokens
Output Price$0.012/1M tokens$0.02/1M tokens
Latency~150ms~80ms

Choose Amazon Nova Lite when:

  • ✓ Budget multimodal
  • ✓ High-volume
  • ✓ Simple tasks
Key Strengths:

Ultra-low cost, 300K context, Fast

Choose IBM Granite 3.1 8B when:

  • ✓ Regulated industries
  • ✓ Enterprise compliance
  • ✓ IBM ecosystem
Key Strengths:

Enterprise compliance, IP indemnification, 128K context

Verdict: Amazon Nova Lite vs IBM Granite 3.1 8B

For cost efficiency, Amazon Nova Lite wins at $0.003/1M input tokens. For speed, Amazon Nova Lite is faster at ~150ms. Amazon Nova Lite excels at Budget multimodal while IBM Granite 3.1 8B is better for Regulated industries. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Amazon Nova Lite costs $0.003/1M input tokens and $0.012/1M output tokens. IBM Granite 3.1 8B costs $0.01 input and $0.02 output. Amazon Nova Lite is 3.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Amazon Nova Lite has a 300K context window with ~150ms latency. IBM Granite 3.1 8B offers 128K context at ~80ms. Amazon Nova Lite has the larger context window.

Best For

Amazon Nova Lite (Compact) is optimized for: Budget multimodal, High-volume, Simple tasks. IBM Granite 3.1 8B (Enterprise) works best for: Regulated industries, Enterprise compliance, IBM ecosystem.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Amazon Nova Lite
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="amazon-nova-lite",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use IBM Granite 3.1 8B
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="granite-3-1-8b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Amazon Nova Lite or IBM Granite 3.1 8B?

Amazon Nova Lite (Compact, ~40B) offers Ultra-low cost. IBM Granite 3.1 8B (Enterprise, 8B) offers Enterprise compliance. Choose Amazon Nova Lite for Budget multimodal or IBM Granite 3.1 8B for Regulated industries.

How much does Amazon Nova Lite cost vs IBM Granite 3.1 8B?

Amazon Nova Lite: $0.003/1M input, $0.012/1M output. IBM Granite 3.1 8B: $0.01/1M input, $0.02/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Amazon Nova Lite and IBM Granite 3.1 8B by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.