Amazon Nova Premier vs LongCat-2.5
Amazon · US | Meituan · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Amazon Nova Premier for 1m-token context with deep aws bedrock integration or amazon's most capable nova model, positioned as a 'teacher' for distilling smaller models. Pick LongCat-2.5 for native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token or limited-time api price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006). On a tight budget at scale, LongCat-2.5 is the value pick.
Amazon Nova Premier (Amazon, US) and LongCat-2.5 (Meituan, China) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. Amazon Nova Premier is amazon's flagship 1M-context Nova model on AWS Bedrock - a useful ecosystem anchor and distillation teacher, but weak and pricey on independent intelligence. LongCat-2.5 is meituan's November 2, 2026 natively multimodal successor to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T parameters and 1M context at $0.30/$1.20, with open weights planned but undated. Their biggest split is price, and the breakdown below shows exactly how that plays out for your workload.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: LongCat-2.5 is about 8.3× cheaper on input ($0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens vs $2.5/$12.5 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
- ▸Context window: both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: LongCat-2.5 is the newer model by about 18 months (released November 2, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
- ▸Ecosystem: this is a US-vs-China matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Amazon Nova Premier | LongCat-2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Amazon (US) | Meituan (China) |
| Released | April 30, 2025 | November 2, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M (~1,500 pages) | 1M tokens (~1,500 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $2.5/$12.5 per 1M tokens | $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | No — API only | No — API only |
| Modalities | text, image | text, image, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
1M-token context with deep AWS Bedrock integration
Amazon Nova Premier
Amazon Nova Premier lists 1M-token context with deep AWS Bedrock integration among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
Amazon's most capable Nova model, positioned as a 'teacher' for distilling smaller models
Amazon Nova Premier
Amazon Nova Premier lists amazon's most capable Nova model, positioned as a 'teacher' for distilling smaller models among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
A natural fit for teams already building on AWS
Amazon Nova Premier
Amazon Nova Premier lists a natural fit for teams already building on AWS among its strengths; LongCat-2.5 does not.
Native multimodal upgrade to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T total parameters, about 48B active per token
LongCat-2.5
Amazon Nova Premier is comparatively weak here — expensive for its score at $2.50/$12.50 per million tokens
Limited-time API price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006)
LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova Premier ($2.5/$12.5 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Meituan-reported Terminal-Bench v2.1 of 88.4, up from 70.8 for LongCat-2.0
LongCat-2.5
Meituan's November 2, 2026 natively multimodal successor to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T parameters and 1M context at $0.30/$1.20, with open weights planned but undated — and it runs cheaper at $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens.
Lowest cost at scale
LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ LongCat-2.5
At $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova Premier, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Anyone whose priority is 1m-token context with deep aws bedrock integration
→ Amazon Nova Premier
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token
→ LongCat-2.5
That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules
→ Amazon Nova Premier or LongCat-2.5
Origin (US vs China) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
Amazon Nova Premier: where it fits
Amazon's flagship 1M-context Nova model on AWS Bedrock - a useful ecosystem anchor and distillation teacher, but weak and pricey on independent intelligence. Released April 30, 2025 by Amazon, it is built for 1M-token context with deep AWS Bedrock integration, amazon's most capable Nova model, positioned as a 'teacher' for distilling smaller models, a natural fit for teams already building on AWS, and multimodal input for complex reasoning across text and images.
Its trade-offs are real: weak on independent intelligence - Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index of 13, below average for its tier, expensive for its score at $2.50/$12.50 per million tokens, a 2025 model - older than the 2026 frontier it competes against, and sources disagree on modalities (Amazon cites image input; some evaluations list text-only). At $2.5 in / $12.5 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
LongCat-2.5: where it fits
Meituan's November 2, 2026 natively multimodal successor to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T parameters and 1M context at $0.30/$1.20, with open weights planned but undated. Released November 2, 2026 by Meituan, it is built for native multimodal upgrade to LongCat-2.0 - 1.6T total parameters, about 48B active per token, limited-time API price of $0.30/$1.20 per million tokens (cached input $0.006), meituan-reported Terminal-Bench v2.1 of 88.4, up from 70.8 for LongCat-2.0, and openAI- and Anthropic-compatible API endpoints with a 1M-token context window.
Its trade-offs: aPI-only for now - GitHub and Hugging Face releases are planned but undated, and the license is unconfirmed (LongCat-2.0 is MIT), the $0.30/$1.20 rate is labeled limited-time, and Meituan says prices are subject to change, and benchmarks are Meituan's own, and sources found no independent score at launch. At $0.3 in / $1.2 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
This is less "which is smarter" and more "which ecosystem fits." Amazon Nova Premier (US) and LongCat-2.5 (China) differ on pricing philosophy, data-residency, and tooling as much as on raw scores. LongCat-2.5 is the cheaper option, which matters at volume. The pragmatic move is to run one real task through both and judge the outputs against your own constraints — including where your data is allowed to be processed.
Want both Amazon Nova Premier and LongCat-2.5 without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is Amazon Nova Premier or LongCat-2.5 better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Amazon Nova Premier leans toward 1m-token context with deep aws bedrock integration while LongCat-2.5 leans toward native multimodal upgrade to longcat-2.0 - 1.6t total parameters, about 48b active per token, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Nova Premier or LongCat-2.5?
LongCat-2.5 is cheaper — $2.5/$12.5 per 1M tokens vs $0.3/$1.2 per 1M tokens, roughly 8.3× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both Amazon Nova Premier and LongCat-2.5 together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Amazon Nova Premier, LongCat-2.5 and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Amazon Nova Premier or LongCat-2.5?
LongCat-2.5 — released November 2, 2026, about 18 months after Amazon Nova Premier.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.