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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Step 3.7 Flash vs Motif 3

Step 3.7 Flash comes out ahead, 62 to 44 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. 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

  2. Motif Technologies

    Motif 3

    Released Aug 7, 2026

    44/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.50 / $2.00
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Motif 3

  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 Motif 3 (44). It leads on price and inputs & features. 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 · Motif 3 $0.875 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextMotif 3Motif 3 262,144 · Step 3.7 Flash 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsStep 3.7 FlashStep 3.7 Flash: Text, Images, Video · Motif 3: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightStep 3.7 FlashMotif 3
Price50%6853
Inputs & features30%7035
Context window20%3637
Overall100%62/10044/100

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 3.7 Flash vs Motif 3 specifications side by side
SpecificationStep 3.7 FlashStepFunMotif 3Motif Technologies
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.185 (best)$0.50
Output$1.11 (best)$2.00
Cached input$0.037—
Blended (3:1)$0.416 (best)$0.875
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial StepFun (Global) APIMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window256,000 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Max output256,000 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · highYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpenMIT
API model IDstep-3.7-flash—
API providers18 (best)1
ReleasedMay 29, 2026Aug 7, 2026
Knowledge cutoffMar 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.

  • Step 3.7 Flash$4.07
  • Motif 3$9.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Step 3.7 Flash or Motif 3?

Step 3.7 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 62/100 against Motif 3 (44). It leads on price and inputs & features. 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 3.7 Flash or Motif 3?

Step 3.7 Flash is cheaper at $0.185 input / $1.11 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). Motif 3 costs $0.50 input / $2.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). 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 $0.875 for Motif 3 (2.1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Step 3.7 Flash has not been scored yet and Motif 3 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 3.7 Flash and Motif 3 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?

Motif 3 has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 256,000 for Step 3.7 Flash. Maximum output per response: Step 3.7 Flash up to 256,000, Motif 3 up to 262,144 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Step 3.7 Flash accepts text, images and video; Motif 3 accepts text. Step 3.7 Flash handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

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

Which is newer?

Motif 3 is the newest, released Aug 7, 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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