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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Qwen3.8 Max Preview vs Step 3.7 Flash

Step 3.7 Flash comes out ahead, 62 to 47 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3.8 Max Preview

    Released Jul 19, 2026

    47/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$2.00 / $6.00
    • Context1M
    Full specs Remove Qwen3.8 Max Preview
  2. Our pick

    StepFun

    Step 3.7 Flash

    Released May 29, 2026

    62/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.185 / $1.11
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove Step 3.7 Flash

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Step 3.7 Flash is our pick

Step 3.7 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against Qwen3.8 Max Preview (47). It leads on price. Qwen3.8 Max Preview wins on 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 3.7 FlashStep 3.7 Flash $0.416 · Qwen3.8 Max Preview $3.00 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextQwen3.8 Max PreviewQwen3.8 Max Preview 1,000,000 · Step 3.7 Flash 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsQwen3.8 Max Preview: Text, Images, Video · Step 3.7 Flash: Text, Images, Video
  • Self-hostingStep 3.7 FlashPublishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightQwen3.8 Max PreviewStep 3.7 Flash
Price50%2768
Inputs & features30%7070
Context window20%6036
Overall100%47/10062/100

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.

Qwen3.8 Max Preview vs Step 3.7 Flash specifications side by side
SpecificationQwen3.8 Max PreviewAlibaba (Qwen)Step 3.7 FlashStepFun
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$2.00$0.185 (best)
Output$6.00$1.11 (best)
Cached input—$0.037
Blended (3:1)$3.00$0.416 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 6 providersOfficial StepFun (Global) API
Limits
Context window1,000,000 tokens (best)256,000 tokens
Max output131,072 tokens256,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesYes
ReasoningYesYeslow · medium · high
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model ID—step-3.7-flash
API providers618 (best)
ReleasedJul 19, 2026May 29, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Mar 1, 2026
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.

  • Qwen3.8 Max Preview$32.00
  • Step 3.7 Flash$4.07
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Qwen3.8 Max Preview or Step 3.7 Flash?

Step 3.7 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against Qwen3.8 Max Preview (47). It leads on price. Qwen3.8 Max Preview wins on 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, Qwen3.8 Max Preview or Step 3.7 Flash?

Step 3.7 Flash is cheaper at $0.185 input / $1.11 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). Qwen3.8 Max Preview costs $2.00 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (median across 6 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.416 per million tokens for Step 3.7 Flash versus $3.00 for Qwen3.8 Max Preview (7.2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3.8 Max Preview has not been scored yet and Step 3.7 Flash has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen3.8 Max Preview and Step 3.7 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?

Qwen3.8 Max Preview has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 256,000 for Step 3.7 Flash. Maximum output per response: Qwen3.8 Max Preview up to 131,072, Step 3.7 Flash up to 256,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Qwen3.8 Max Preview accepts text, images and video; Step 3.7 Flash accepts text, images and video. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Step 3.7 Flash publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Qwen3.8 Max Preview is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Qwen3.8 Max Preview is the newest, released Jul 19, 2026. Step 3.7 Flash came out May 29, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Step 3.7 Flash Mar 1, 2026.

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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