Amazon Nova Lite vs Embed v3: API Cost Comparison
Compare the API pricing, context windows, features, and real-world cost projections for Amazon Nova Lite (AWS Bedrock) and Embed v3 (Cohere). Use the interactive calculator below to compute your exact monthly cost based on your token usage and request volume.
Prices verified Mar 11, 2026
Interactive Cost Calculator
Fills in typical token counts for a workload type
Tokens in each prompt sent to the model
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Total API calls per month
Showing costs for 2 models. Cheapest: Embed v3 at $1.50/month.
| Alert | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BestEmbed v3 | Cohere | $1.50 | $0.000150 | $1.00 | $0.50 | 16.7% | Alerts coming soon |
Amazon Nova Lite | AWS Bedrock | $1.80 | $0.000180 | $0.60 | $1.20 | — | Alerts coming soon |
Monthly Cost Comparison
Price Comparison at a Glance
All prices are in USD per 1 million tokens ($/M tokens). Lower is cheaper.
| Pricing Type | Amazon Nova Lite | Embed v3 | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (standard) | $0.06/M | $0.10/M | Amazon Nova Lite |
| Output | $0.24/M | $0.10/M | Embed v3 |
Prices last verified: 2026-03-06 – 2026-03-11
Cost Breakdown by Usage Volume
Estimated monthly costs at different request volumes, assuming 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request. Adjust in the calculator above for your specific use case.
| Volume | Amazon Nova LiteMonthly | Embed v3Monthly | Amazon Nova LitePer request | Embed v3Per request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1K requests/mo | $0.18 | $0.15 | $0.000180 | $0.000150 |
| 10K requests/mo | $1.80 | $1.50 | $0.000180 | $0.000150 |
| 100K requests/mo | $18.00 | $15.00 | $0.000180 | $0.000150 |
| 1M requests/mo | $180.00 | $150.00 | $0.000180 | $0.000150 |
Green values indicate the lower-cost option at each volume tier. Cost per request is calculated at 1,000 input + 500 output tokens using standard (non-batch, non-cached) pricing.
Price History
Input price per 1M tokensWhen to Choose Amazon Nova Lite
by AWS Bedrock
- Summarization
- Data extraction
- Translation
Input / 1M tokens
$0.06/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.24/M
Context window
300,000
Tier
budget
When to Choose Embed v3
by Cohere
- RAG / Semantic search
Input / 1M tokens
$0.10/M
Output / 1M tokens
$0.10/M
Context window
512
Tier
budget
Key Differences Beyond Price
Cost is only one factor in choosing an AI model. Context window size, rate limits, supported features, and latency all affect whether a model fits your use case.
| Capability | Amazon Nova Lite | Embed v3 |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 300,000 tokens | 512 tokens |
| Max output tokens | 5,120 tokens | 1,024 tokens |
| Performance tier | Budget | Budget |
| Vision / image input | Yes | No |
| Function calling | Yes | No |
| JSON mode | Yes | No |
| Prompt caching | No | No |
| Batch API (50% discount) | Yes | No |
| Extended reasoning | No | No |
| Fine-tuning | Yes | No |
Amazon Nova Lite notes
Amazon Nova Lite supports image and video inputs. Very cost-effective for multimodal pipelines. Strong choice for large-scale document processing on AWS.
Embed v3 notes
Embedding model only. Output tokens represent embedding dimensions, not text. Multilingual variant also available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Amazon Nova Lite cheaper than Embed v3?
At standard usage (1,000 input tokens, 500 output tokens, 100,000 requests/month), Embed v3 costs $15.00/month versus $18.00/month for Amazon Nova Lite — a 17% saving. Your actual savings will vary based on your token profile; output-heavy workloads amplify differences in output pricing.
Which model has a larger context window, Amazon Nova Lite or Embed v3?
Amazon Nova Lite has a larger context window at 300,000 tokens, compared to 512 tokens for Embed v3. A larger context window is important for processing long documents, multi-turn conversations, or large codebases without truncation.
Do Amazon Nova Lite and Embed v3 support the Batch API?
Amazon Nova Lite supports the Batch API (50% discount for async processing), while Embed v3 does not. If your workload tolerates up to 24-hour latency, routing to Amazon Nova Lite with batch pricing could significantly cut costs versus Embed v3's standard rate.
Which model offers better prompt caching?
Neither Amazon Nova Lite nor Embed v3 currently supports prompt caching. For prompt-caching capable alternatives, consider Claude models from Anthropic or GPT-4o from OpenAI.
What are the best use cases for Amazon Nova Lite vs Embed v3?
Amazon Nova Lite is best suited for Summarization, Data extraction, Translation, while Embed v3 is optimized for RAG / Semantic search. Choose based on which use case matches your primary workload — and validate with the cost calculator above to confirm the total monthly spend fits your budget.
What is the cost per request for Amazon Nova Lite vs Embed v3?
At 1,000 input tokens and 500 output tokens per request — a typical conversational workload — Amazon Nova Lite costs $0.000180 per request and Embed v3 costs $0.000150 per request. At 100,000 requests/month, that translates to $18.00 and $15.00 respectively. Use the interactive calculator to adjust these parameters for your actual workload.
Amazon Nova Lite vs Embed v3: Summary
When comparing Amazon Nova Lite and Embed v3 for API cost, the right choice depends on your workload's token profile, required features, and tolerance for latency. Embed v3 offers lower total cost at standard usage volumes (1,000 input + 500 output tokens per request at 100,000 requests/month) at $15.00/month, compared to $18.00/month for Amazon Nova Lite.
Both models are priced in USD per million tokens, the standard unit across all major AI API providers. Amazon Nova Lite charges $0.06/M for input tokens and $0.24/M for output tokens. Embed v3 charges $0.10/M input and $0.10/M output. If your workload is output-heavy (more tokens generated than consumed as input), the model with the lower output price compounds cost savings significantly at scale.
Context window capacity differs between the two: Amazon Nova Lite supports up to 300,000 tokens in a single request, versus 512 tokens for Embed v3. A larger context window is essential for document summarization, large codebase analysis, and multi-document retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) applications.
Use the interactive calculator at the top of this page to enter your actual token usage and monthly request volume for a precise cost comparison tailored to your workload. Adjust for batch API discounts and prompt caching to find the most cost-effective option for your specific deployment.
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Relevant Use Cases
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