GLM-4.7-FlashX vs Rnj-1 Instruct vs Step 3.5 Flash
Step 3.5 Flash comes out ahead, 63 to 59 and 50 on our weighted score.
Z.ai (Zhipu)GLM-4.7-FlashX
59/100- ECI—
- Price$0.07 / $0.40
- Context200K
Essential AI
Rnj-1 Instruct
50/100- ECI—
- Price$0.15 / $0.15
- Context33K
- Our pick
StepFunStep 3.5 Flash
63/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.30
- Context256K
Step 3.5 Flash is our pick
Step 3.5 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-4.7-FlashX (59) and Rnj-1 Instruct (50). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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 priceRnj-1 Instruct and Step 3.5 FlashRnj-1 Instruct $0.15 · Step 3.5 Flash $0.15 · GLM-4.7-FlashX $0.152 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextStep 3.5 FlashStep 3.5 Flash 256,000 · GLM-4.7-FlashX 200,000 · Rnj-1 Instruct 32,768 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGLM-4.7-FlashX: Text · Rnj-1 Instruct: Text · Step 3.5 Flash: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | GLM-4.7-FlashX | Rnj-1 Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 25 | 45 |
| Context window | 20% | 32 | 0 | 36 |
| Overall | 100% | 59/100 | 50/100 | 63/100 |
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 | GLM-4.7-FlashXZ.ai (Zhipu) | Rnj-1 InstructEssential AI | Step 3.5 FlashStepFun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.07 (best) | $0.15 | $0.10 |
| Output | $0.40 | $0.15 (best) | $0.30 |
| Cached input | $0.01 (best) | — | $0.02 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.152 | $0.15 (best) | $0.15 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Z.AI API | Median of 1 providers | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 200,000 tokens | 32,768 tokens | 256,000 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 131,072 tokens | 32,768 tokens | 256,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No | Yeslow · high |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No | Yes |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | OpenApache 2.0 | Open |
| API model ID | glm-4.7-flashx | — | step-3.5-flash |
| API providers | 10 | 1 | 13 (best) |
| Released | Jan 19, 2026 | Dec 4, 2025 | Jan 29, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Apr 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.
- GLM-4.7-FlashX$1.50
- Rnj-1 Instruct$1.80
- Step 3.5 Flash$1.60
Which should you choose?
Which is better: GLM-4.7-FlashX, Rnj-1 Instruct or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 63/100 against GLM-4.7-FlashX (59) and Rnj-1 Instruct (50). It leads on inputs & features and context window. 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, GLM-4.7-FlashX, Rnj-1 Instruct or Step 3.5 Flash?
Rnj-1 Instruct is cheaper at $0.15 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price); GLM-4.7-FlashX costs $0.07 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.15 per million tokens for Rnj-1 Instruct versus $0.15 for Step 3.5 Flash (1× as much) and $0.152 for GLM-4.7-FlashX (1× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. GLM-4.7-FlashX has not been scored yet, Rnj-1 Instruct has not been scored yet and Step 3.5 Flash has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GLM-4.7-FlashX, Rnj-1 Instruct and Step 3.5 Flash yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. All three support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Step 3.5 Flash has the largest context window at 256,000 tokens, against 200,000 for GLM-4.7-FlashX and 32,768 for Rnj-1 Instruct. Maximum output per response: GLM-4.7-FlashX up to 131,072, Rnj-1 Instruct up to 32,768, Step 3.5 Flash up to 256,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
GLM-4.7-FlashX accepts text; Rnj-1 Instruct accepts text; Step 3.5 Flash accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, all three publish their weights (Apache 2.0), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Step 3.5 Flash is the newest, released Jan 29, 2026. GLM-4.7-FlashX came out Jan 19, 2026; Rnj-1 Instruct came out Dec 4, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GLM-4.7-FlashX Apr 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 Nov 2, 2026.
