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Beam 1.0 vs Step-3.5-Flash

Beam 1.0 leads the LLM Stats Score 44.6 to 36.8. Step-3.5-Flash is 3.4x cheaper per token.

Reflection AI · StepFun · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Beam 1.0 leads the overall LLM Stats Score 44.6 to 36.8, ranking #46 overall.

In the 2 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Beam 1.0 wins 2; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.

On price, Step-3.5-Flash is roughly 3.4x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Beam 1.0 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.

Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.

Choose Beam 1.0

  • overall performance matters — it scores 44.6 and ranks #46 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
  • you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 2 of 2 exact shared results
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Oct 2026

Choose Step-3.5-Flash

  • cost matters — it's about 3.4x cheaper per token

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Beam 1.0
Reflection AI
Step-3.5-Flash
StepFun
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
44.6
#46
36.8
#90
Reasoning
45.5
#37
36.9
#89
Coding
33.7
#39
20.4
#115
Agents
28.8
#53
15.3
#108
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
2 of 2
0 of 2
Input price
$0.40 / M
$0.10 / M
Output price
$1.20 / M
$0.40 / M
Context window
1,048,576
65,536

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

2 shared
Index
Beam 1.0
Step-3.5-Flash
Math
35.1#45
33.9#54
Tool use
26.4#32
13.2#115
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

22 reported for Beam 1.0 · 7 for Step-3.5-Flash

2 shared

Beam 1.0 outperforms in 2 benchmarks (BrowseComp, SWE-Bench Verified), while Step-3.5-Flash is better at 0 benchmarks.

Beam 1.0 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Fri Oct 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Step-3.5-Flash costs less

For input processing, Beam 1.0 ($0.40/1M tokens) is 4.0x more expensive than Step-3.5-Flash ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Beam 1.0 ($1.20/1M tokens) is 3.0x more expensive than Step-3.5-Flash ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Beam 1.0 is more expensive than Step-3.5-Flash.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Oct 23 2026 • llm-stats.com
Reflection AI
Beam 1.0
Input tokens$0.40
Output tokens$1.20
Best providerTogether
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerStepFun
Notice missing or incorrect data?

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

305.3B diff

Beam 1.0 has 305.3B more parameters than Step-3.5-Flash, making it 155.8% larger.

Reflection AI
Beam 1.0
501.3Bparameters
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
196.0Bparameters
501.3B
Beam 1.0
196.0B
Step-3.5-Flash

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Beam 1.0 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Step-3.5-Flash's 65,536 tokens. Beam 1.0 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Step-3.5-Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Reflection AI
Beam 1.0
Input1,048,576 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
Input65,536 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Fri Oct 23 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Both models are licensed under Apache 2.0.

Both models share the same licensing terms, providing consistent usage rights.

Beam 1.0

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Step-3.5-Flash

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Beam 1.0 was released on 2026-10-16, while Step-3.5-Flash was released on 2026-02-02.

Beam 1.0 is 9 months newer than Step-3.5-Flash.

Beam 1.0

Oct 16, 2026

6 days ago

8mo newer
Step-3.5-Flash

Feb 2, 2026

8 months ago

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Beam 1.0 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-06-30, while Step-3.5-Flash's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Beam 1.0's training data extends to 2026-06-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Step-3.5-Flash's cutoff date.

Beam 1.0

Jun 2026

Step-3.5-Flash

—

Provider Availability

Beam 1.0 is available from Together, Reflection AI. Step-3.5-Flash is available from StepFun.

Beam 1.0

together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.40/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.20/1M
reflection logo
Unknown Organization

Step-3.5-Flash

stepfun logo
StepFun
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

Notice missing or incorrect data?

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Beam 1.0 and Step-3.5-Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Beam 1.0
✓ Preferred
Step-3.5-Flash
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Beam 1.0 vs Step-3.5-Flash.

Which is better, Beam 1.0 or Step-3.5-Flash?

Beam 1.0 leads the LLM Stats Score 44.6 to 36.8. Beam 1.0 is made by Reflection AI and Step-3.5-Flash is made by StepFun. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their capability indexes, individual benchmarks, pricing, and limits above.

How does Beam 1.0 compare to Step-3.5-Flash in benchmarks?

Beam 1.0 scores AIME 2026: 97.7%, GPQA: 90.6%, LiveCodeBench: 88.3%, SWE-Bench Verified: 81.6%, MCP Atlas: 80.8%. Step-3.5-Flash scores AIME 2025: 97.3%, Tau-bench: 88.2%, LiveCodeBench v6: 86.4%, IMO-AnswerBench: 85.4%, SWE-Bench Verified: 74.4%.

Is Beam 1.0 cheaper than Step-3.5-Flash?

Step-3.5-Flash is 4.0x cheaper for input tokens. Beam 1.0 costs $0.40/M input and $1.20/M output via together. Step-3.5-Flash costs $0.10/M input and $0.40/M output via stepfun.

What are the context window sizes for Beam 1.0 and Step-3.5-Flash?

Beam 1.0 supports 1.0M tokens and Step-3.5-Flash supports 66K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.

What are the main differences between Beam 1.0 and Step-3.5-Flash?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (44.6 vs 36.8), context window (1.0M vs 66K), input pricing ($0.40 vs $0.10/M). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Beam 1.0 and Step-3.5-Flash?

Beam 1.0 is developed by Reflection AI and Step-3.5-Flash is developed by StepFun.

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