Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite vs Step 3.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite comes out ahead, 85 to 62 on our weighted score, though Step 3.5 Flash is 14% cheaper per token.
- Our pick
GoogleGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite
85/100- ECI133.9
- Price$0.10 / $0.40
- Context1.05M
StepFunStep 3.5 Flash
62/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.30
- Context256K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is our pick
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 85/100 against Step 3.5 Flash (62). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Step 3.5 Flash wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceStep 3.5 FlashStep 3.5 Flash $0.15 · Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite $0.175 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite 1,048,576 · Step 3.5 Flash 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsGemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGemini 2.5 Flash-Lite: Text, Images, PDFs, Audio, Video · Step 3.5 Flash: Text
- Self-hostingStep 3.5 FlashPublishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 86 | 89 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 100 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 61 | 36 |
| Overall | 100% | 85/100 | 62/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemini 2.5 Flash-LiteGoogle | Step 3.5 FlashStepFun |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 133.9 | — |
| ECI rank | #118 of 148 | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Output | $0.40 | $0.30 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.01 (best) | $0.02 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.175 | $0.15 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Google API | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,048,576 tokens (best) | 256,000 tokens |
| Max output | 65,536 tokens | 256,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No |
| PDFs | Yes | No |
| Audio | Yes | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yeslow · high |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | gemini-2.5-flash-lite | step-3.5-flash |
| API providers | 20 (best) | 8 |
| Released | Jun 17, 2025 | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jan 2025 | Jan 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite$1.80
- Step 3.5 Flash$1.60
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite or Step 3.5 Flash?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is the better all-round choice, scoring 85/100 against Step 3.5 Flash (62). It leads on inputs & features and context window. Step 3.5 Flash wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper at $0.10 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite costs $0.10 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official Google API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.15 per million tokens for Step 3.5 Flash versus $0.175 for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite (1.2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has an ECI of 133.9 and Step 3.5 Flash has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite and Step 3.5 Flash yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 256,000 for Step 3.5 Flash. Maximum output per response: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite up to 65,536, Step 3.5 Flash up to 256,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite accepts text, images, PDFs, audio and video; Step 3.5 Flash accepts text. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Step 3.5 Flash publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Step 3.5 Flash is the newest, released Jan 29, 2026. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite came out Jun 17, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite Jan 2025, Step 3.5 Flash Jan 2025.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
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