AI model comparison

Step 3.7 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

Pricing, context window, benchmarks, and features compared side by side. Or skip the guesswork and send one prompt to both.

Step 3.7 Flash is StepFun's latest high-efficiency multimodal Mixture-of-Experts model.

Input / 1M
$0.20
Output / 1M
$1.15
Context
262K

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

Comparing image generators? Compare image models

At a glance

Quick verdict

How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.

Lower price

stepfun logo

Step 3.7 Flash

1.3x cheaper for a typical chat

Higher intelligence score

stepfun logo

Step 3.7 Flash

19.5 vs 15.6 on Artificial Analysis

Larger context window

google logo

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite

1.05M vs 262K tokens

Newer release

stepfun logo

Step 3.7 Flash

Released May 28, 2026

Benchmarks

Benchmark scores

Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.

Intelligence index

stepfun logoStep 3.7 Flash19.5
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite15.6

Coding index

stepfun logoStep 3.7 Flash39.6
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite34.7

Agentic index

stepfun logoStep 3.7 FlashNot available
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite1.6

Pricing

Step 3.7 Flash vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite API pricing

Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.

Metricstepfun logoStep 3.7 Flashgoogle logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Input tokensPer 1M tokens$0.20$0.25
Output tokensPer 1M tokens$1.15$1.50
Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens$0.04$0.03
Cache writePer 1M tokensNot available$0.08
Web searchPer requestNot available$0.014

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

stepfun logoStep 3.7 Flash$0.98
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite$1.25

Coding task

30K in, 4K out

stepfun logoStep 3.7 Flash$10.60$5.80 cached
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite$13.50$6.75 cached

Long document summary

150K in, 2K out

stepfun logoStep 3.7 Flash$32.30$8.30 cached
google logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite$40.50$6.75 cached

Specs

Context window and capabilities

How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.

Metricstepfun logoStep 3.7 Flashgoogle logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Context window262K tokens1.05M tokens
Max output230K tokens66K tokens
Input typesImage, Text, VideoAudio, File, Image, Text, Video
Output typesTextText
Reasoning effort levelsHigh, Medium, LowHigh, Medium, Low, Minimal, None
Default reasoning effortMediumMinimal
Release dateMay 28, 2026May 7, 2026

Features

Supported features

API features available for each model.

Metricstepfun logoStep 3.7 Flashgoogle logoGemini 3.1 Flash Lite
Tool callingSupportedSupported
Structured outputsSupportedSupported
JSON modeSupportedSupported
ReasoningSupportedSupported
TemperatureSupportedSupported
Stop sequencesSupportedSupported
Deterministic seedSupportedSupported
Verbosity controlNot supportedNot supported

Our take

Step 3.7 Flash is 1.3x cheaper for a typical chat. Step 3.7 Flash scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (19.5 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 Step 3.7 Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite cheaper?

Step 3.7 Flash is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). Step 3.7 Flash costs $0.20 per 1M input tokens and $1.15 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, Step 3.7 Flash or Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 262K for Step 3.7 Flash.

Is Step 3.7 Flash smarter than Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite?

On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Step 3.7 Flash scores 19.5 and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite scores 15.6, putting Step 3.7 Flash ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.

Can I use Step 3.7 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite at the same time?

Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Step 3.7 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite answer side by side and keep the better response.

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Why choose? Ask both.

Send one prompt to Step 3.7 Flash and Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.