Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek Flash Latest: pricing comparison
DeepSeek Flash Latest is the cheaper option at $0.00/$2.40 per 1M input/output tokens — Step 3.5 Flash ($0.10/$0.30) costs about 33x more per input token. Full spec-by-spec breakdown below.
| Step 3.5 Flash | DeepSeek Flash Latest | |
|---|---|---|
| Input /1M tokens | $0.10 | $0.00 |
| Output /1M tokens | $0.30 | $2.40 |
| Cache read /1M | — | $0.00 |
| Context window | 262K | 1.0M |
| Provider | Stepfun | ~deepseek |
| Vision input | No | Yes |
| Released | Jan 2026 | Sep 2026 |
Real workload costs: Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek Flash Latest
Cost per single request at common token profiles — the cheapest model for each workload is highlighted.
| Workload | Tokens (in / out) | Step 3.5 Flash | DeepSeek Flash Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot message | 500 / 300 | $0.0001 | $0.0007 |
| RAG query with context | 4,000 / 500 | $0.0006 | $0.0012 |
| Document summarization | 20,000 / 1,000 | $0.0023 | $0.0025 |
| Agent coding session | 100,000 / 5,000 | $0.01 | $0.01 |
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek Flash Latest?
DeepSeek Flash Latest is the cheapest on input tokens at $0.00 per 1M, and Step 3.5 Flash is cheapest on output at $0.30 per 1M. Step 3.5 Flash costs about 33x more per input token than DeepSeek Flash Latest.
How much does Step 3.5 Flash cost per 1M tokens?
Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.30 per 1M output tokens on the Stepfun API, with a 262K-token context window.
How much does DeepSeek Flash Latest cost per 1M tokens?
DeepSeek Flash Latest costs $0.00 per 1M input tokens and $2.40 per 1M output tokens on the ~deepseek API, with a 1.0M-token context window.
What does a typical request cost on Step 3.5 Flash vs DeepSeek Flash Latest?
For a typical request with 2,000 input and 500 output tokens: Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.0003, DeepSeek Flash Latest costs $0.0012. At 1,000 requests/day for a month that is $10.50 for Step 3.5 Flash vs $36.18 for DeepSeek Flash Latest.
Estimate your own workload with the per-model calculators (Step 3.5 Flash, DeepSeek Flash Latest), browse all current prices on the live model pricing dashboard, or run these models head-to-head on a real prompt (free account required). Prices may differ from provider list prices for batch or tiered usage.
Pricing data via the OpenRouter models API.