Step 3.5 Flash 2603 vs Gemma 4 E4B IT
Gemma 4 E4B IT comes out ahead, 76 to 62 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
StepFunStep 3.5 Flash 2603
62/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.30
- Context256K
- Our pick
GoogleGemma 4 E4B IT
76/100- ECI—
- Price$0.11 / $0.15
- Context131K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Gemma 4 E4B IT is our pick
Gemma 4 E4B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 76/100 against Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on price and inputs & features. Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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 priceGemma 4 E4B ITGemma 4 E4B IT $0.12 · Step 3.5 Flash 2603 $0.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextStep 3.5 Flash 2603Step 3.5 Flash 2603 256,000 · Gemma 4 E4B IT 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGemma 4 E4B ITStep 3.5 Flash 2603: Text · Gemma 4 E4B IT: Text, Images, Audio
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Step 3.5 Flash 2603 | Gemma 4 E4B IT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 89 | 94 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 80 |
| Context window | 20% | 36 | 24 |
| Overall | 100% | 62/100 | 76/100 |
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 | Step 3.5 Flash 2603StepFun | Gemma 4 E4B ITGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.10 (best) | $0.11 |
| Output | $0.30 | $0.15 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.02 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.15 | $0.12 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official StepFun (Global) API | Median of 2 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 256,000 tokens (best) | 131,072 tokens |
| Max output | 256,000 tokens (best) | 8,192 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | Yes |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | Yes |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yeslow · high | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | Yes |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Open | Open |
| API model ID | step-3.5-flash-2603 | — |
| API providers | 3 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Apr 2, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | 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.
- Step 3.5 Flash 2603$1.60
- Gemma 4 E4B IT$1.40
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 or Gemma 4 E4B IT?
Gemma 4 E4B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 76/100 against Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on price and inputs & features. Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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, Step 3.5 Flash 2603 or Gemma 4 E4B IT?
Gemma 4 E4B IT is cheaper at $0.11 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). Step 3.5 Flash 2603 costs $0.10 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.12 per million tokens for Gemma 4 E4B IT versus $0.15 for Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (1.3× 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 E4B IT has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 3.5 Flash 2603 and Gemma 4 E4B 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?
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 has the largest context window at 256,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Gemma 4 E4B IT. Maximum output per response: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 up to 256,000, Gemma 4 E4B IT up to 8,192 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 accepts text; Gemma 4 E4B IT accepts text, images and audio. Gemma 4 E4B 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 E4B 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.
