ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed vs Step 3.5 Flash

Step 3.5 Flash comes out ahead, 62 to 41 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. MiniMax

    MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed

    Released Feb 13, 2026

    41/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.60 / $2.40
    • Context205K
    Full specs Remove MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed
  2. Our pick

    StepFun

    Step 3.5 Flash

    Released Jan 29, 2026

    62/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.30
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove Step 3.5 Flash

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Step 3.5 Flash is our pick

Step 3.5 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed (41). It leads on price 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 priceStep 3.5 FlashStep 3.5 Flash $0.15 · MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed $1.05 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextStep 3.5 FlashStep 3.5 Flash 256,000 · MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed 204,800 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsMiniMax-M2.5-highspeed: Text · Step 3.5 Flash: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightMiniMax-M2.5-highspeedStep 3.5 Flash
Price50%4989
Inputs & features30%3535
Context window20%3236
Overall100%41/10062/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed vs Step 3.5 Flash specifications side by side
SpecificationMiniMax-M2.5-highspeedMiniMaxStep 3.5 FlashStepFun
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.60$0.10 (best)
Output$2.40$0.30 (best)
Cached input$0.06$0.02 (best)
Blended (3:1)$1.05$0.15 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial MiniMax (minimax.io) APIOfficial StepFun (Global) API
Limits
Context window204,800 tokens256,000 tokens (best)
Max output131,072 tokens256,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYeslow · high
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDMiniMax-M2.5-highspeedstep-3.5-flash
API providers78 (best)
ReleasedFeb 13, 2026Jan 29, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Jan 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed$10.80
  • Step 3.5 Flash$1.60
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed or Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed (41). It leads on price 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, MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed 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). MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed costs $0.60 input / $2.40 output per million tokens (official MiniMax (minimax.io) 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 $1.05 for MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed (7× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed 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 MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed 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?

Step 3.5 Flash has the largest context window at 256,000 tokens, against 204,800 for MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed. Maximum output per response: MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed up to 131,072, Step 3.5 Flash up to 256,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed accepts text; Step 3.5 Flash accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

MiniMax-M2.5-highspeed is the newest, released Feb 13, 2026. Step 3.5 Flash came out Jan 29, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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