AI model comparison
Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek V3.2 Exp
Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.
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
DeepSeek
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp
DeepSeek-V3.2-Exp is an experimental large language model released by DeepSeek as an intermediate step between V3.1 and future architectures.
- Input / 1M
- $0.27
- Output / 1M
- $0.41
- Context
- 164K
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
Step 3.5 Flash
2.1x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Step 3.5 Flash
17 vs 16.6 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Step 3.5 Flash
262K vs 164K tokens
Newer release
Step 3.5 Flash
Released January 29, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp16.6Coding index
DeepSeek V3.2 ExpNot availableAgentic index
DeepSeek V3.2 ExpNot availablePricing
Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek V3.2 Exp API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | |
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.10 | $0.27 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $0.30 | $0.41 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | 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
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp$0.75Coding task
30K in, 4K out
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp$9.74Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
DeepSeek V3.2 Exp$41.32Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | |
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 262K tokens | 164K tokens |
| Max output | 66K tokens | 147K tokens |
| Input types | Text | Text |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | Not available | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Not available | Not available |
| Release date | January 29, 2026 | September 29, 2025 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | DeepSeek V3.2 Exp | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Not supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Not supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Not supported | Not supported |
| Deterministic seed | Not 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.
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Hy3
- Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek V3.2
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Ling 3.0 Flash
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Step 3.7 Flash
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Qwen3.6 35B A3B
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Gemma 4 26B A4B
- Step 3.5 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
- 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
DeepSeek V3.2 ExpView full model details- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs Gemma 4 31B
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs DeepSeek V3.2
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs Gemma 4 26B A4B
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs GPT-5 Nano
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs GLM 4.7 Flash
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs DeepSeek V3.1 Terminus
- DeepSeek V3.2 Exp vs DeepSeek V3.1
Our take
Step 3.5 Flash is 2.1x cheaper for a typical chat. Step 3.5 Flash scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (17 vs 16.6). Step 3.5 Flash has the larger context window (262K vs 164K 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 Step 3.5 Flash or DeepSeek V3.2 Exp 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 DeepSeek V3.2 Exp costs $0.27 per 1M input tokens and $0.41 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Step 3.5 Flash or DeepSeek V3.2 Exp?
Step 3.5 Flash supports up to 262K tokens of context, compared with 164K for DeepSeek V3.2 Exp.
Is Step 3.5 Flash smarter than DeepSeek V3.2 Exp?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Step 3.5 Flash scores 17 and DeepSeek V3.2 Exp scores 16.6, 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 Step 3.5 Flash and DeepSeek V3.2 Exp at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Step 3.5 Flash and DeepSeek V3.2 Exp answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Step 3.5 Flash and DeepSeek V3.2 Exp at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.