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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Step 3.5 Flash 2603 vs Gemma 4 31B IT

Gemma 4 31B IT comes out ahead, 70 to 62 on our weighted score, though Step 3.5 Flash 2603 is 27% cheaper per token.

  1. StepFun

    Step 3.5 Flash 2603

    Released Apr 2, 2026

    62/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.30
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove Step 3.5 Flash 2603
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemma 4 31B IT

    Released Apr 2, 2026

    70/100
    • ECI142.8
    • Price$0.14 / $0.40
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 4 31B IT

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Gemma 4 31B IT is our pick

Gemma 4 31B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 70/100 against Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on inputs & features. Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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 Flash 2603Step 3.5 Flash 2603 $0.15 · Gemma 4 31B IT $0.205 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextGemma 4 31B ITGemma 4 31B IT 262,144 · Step 3.5 Flash 2603 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemma 4 31B ITStep 3.5 Flash 2603: Text · Gemma 4 31B IT: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightStep 3.5 Flash 2603Gemma 4 31B IT
Price50%8983
Inputs & features30%3570
Context window20%3637
Overall100%62/10070/100

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.

Step 3.5 Flash 2603 vs Gemma 4 31B IT specifications side by side
SpecificationStep 3.5 Flash 2603StepFunGemma 4 31B ITGoogle
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—142.8
ECI rank—#86 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—75.8%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—73.3%
SimpleQA VerifiedShort factual questions—10.4%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.10 (best)$0.14
Output$0.30 (best)$0.40
Cached input$0.02—
Blended (3:1)$0.15 (best)$0.205
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial StepFun (Global) APIMedian of 30 providers
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Max output256,000 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYeslow · highYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDstep-3.5-flash-2603gemma-4-31b-it
API providers338 (best)
ReleasedApr 2, 2026Apr 2, 2026
Knowledge cutoffJan 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.

  • Step 3.5 Flash 2603$1.60
  • Gemma 4 31B IT$2.20
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 or Gemma 4 31B IT?

Gemma 4 31B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 70/100 against Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on inputs & features. Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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, Step 3.5 Flash 2603 or Gemma 4 31B IT?

Step 3.5 Flash 2603 is cheaper at $0.10 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). Gemma 4 31B IT costs $0.14 input / $0.40 output per million tokens (median across 30 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.15 per million tokens for Step 3.5 Flash 2603 versus $0.205 for Gemma 4 31B IT (1.4× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Step 3.5 Flash 2603 has not been scored yet and Gemma 4 31B IT has an ECI of 142.8.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 3.5 Flash 2603 and Gemma 4 31B IT 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?

Gemma 4 31B IT has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 256,000 for Step 3.5 Flash 2603. Maximum output per response: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 up to 256,000, Gemma 4 31B IT up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Step 3.5 Flash 2603 accepts text; Gemma 4 31B IT accepts text and images. Gemma 4 31B IT handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

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

Which is newer?

Step 3.5 Flash 2603 is the newest, released Apr 2, 2026. Gemma 4 31B IT came out Apr 2, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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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