AI model comparison
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Step 3.5 Flash
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite is Google’s GA high-efficiency multimodal model optimized for low-latency, high-volume workloads.
- Input / 1M
- $0.25
- Output / 1M
- $1.50
- Context
- 1.05M
StepFun
Step 3.5 Flash
Step 3.5 Flash is StepFun's most capable open-source foundation model.
- Input / 1M
- $0.10
- Output / 1M
- $0.30
- Context
- 262K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Step 3.5 Flash
3.6x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Step 3.5 Flash
17 vs 15.6 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
1.05M vs 262K tokens
Newer release
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Released May 7, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite15.6Coding index
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite34.7Agentic index
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite1.6Pricing
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Step 3.5 Flash API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.25 | $0.10 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $1.50 | $0.30 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.03 | Not available |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | $0.08 | Not available |
| Web searchPer request | $0.014 | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite$1.25Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite$13.50$6.75 cachedLong document summary
150K in, 2K out
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite$40.50$6.75 cachedSpecs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 262K tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 66K tokens |
| Input types | Audio, File, Image, Text, Video | Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low, Minimal | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Minimal | Not available |
| Release date | May 7, 2026 | January 29, 2026 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Not supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Not supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Not supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Not supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
Gemini 3.1 Flash LiteView full model details- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite vs Gemini 2.5 Flash
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- Step 3.5 Flash vs Hy3
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- Step 3.5 Flash vs Step 3.7 Flash
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- Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek V3.2 Exp
- Step 3.5 Flash vs GLM 4.7 Flash
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Gemma 4 31B
- Step 3.5 Flash vs GPT-5 Nano
Our take
Step 3.5 Flash is 3.6x cheaper for a typical chat. Step 3.5 Flash scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (17 vs 15.6). Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite has the larger context window (1.05M vs 262K tokens). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite or Step 3.5 Flash cheaper?
Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.30 per 1M output tokens, while Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite costs $0.25 per 1M input tokens and $1.50 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite or Step 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 262K for Step 3.5 Flash.
Is Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite smarter than Step 3.5 Flash?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite scores 15.6 and Step 3.5 Flash scores 17, putting Step 3.5 Flash ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and Step 3.5 Flash at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and Step 3.5 Flash answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite and Step 3.5 Flash at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.