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Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Step-3.5-Flash

Step-3.5-Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 37.3 to -2.4. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 5.8x cheaper per token.

Meta · StepFun · Updated for 2026

Which is better?

Step-3.5-Flash leads the overall LLM Stats Score 37.3 to -2.4, ranking #61 overall.

On price, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is roughly 5.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct also accepts a larger context window (131,072 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 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

  • cost matters — it's about 5.8x cheaper per token
  • you process long inputs — it offers a 131,072 token context window

Choose Step-3.5-Flash

  • overall performance matters — it scores 37.3 and ranks #61 on LLM Stats
  • your work emphasizes reasoning and coding — it leads those capability indexes
  • you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026

At a glance

The differences that matter most.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Meta
Step-3.5-Flash
StepFun
Core performance indexes
LLM Stats Score
-2.4
#322
37.3
#61
Reasoning
-3.5
#321
37.3
#62
Coding
-2.2
#235
20.4
#88
Cost, coverage & limits
Benchmark wins
—
—
Input price
$0.03 / M
$0.10 / M
Output price
$0.03 / M
$0.40 / M
Context window
131,072
65,536

Capability indexes

Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks

2 shared
Index
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Step-3.5-Flash
Math
-2.1#300
33.8#50
Tool use
17.0#73
12.9#93
Conservative TrueSkill rating · higher is betterHow scores work

Individual benchmarks

18 reported for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct · 7 for Step-3.5-Flash

No common benchmarks found

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Step-3.5-Flashdon't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Human preference

Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct costs less

For input processing, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 3.3x cheaper than Step-3.5-Flash ($0.10/1M tokens).

For output processing, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct ($0.03/1M tokens) is 13.3x cheaper than Step-3.5-Flash ($0.40/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Step-3.5-Flash is more expensive than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Sep 01 2026 • llm-stats.com
Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Input tokens$0.03
Output tokens$0.03
Best providerLambda
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerStepFun
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Model Size

Parameter count comparison

188.0B diff

Step-3.5-Flash has 188.0B more parameters than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct, making it 2350.0% larger.

Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
8.0Bparameters
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
196.0Bparameters
8.0B
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
196.0B
Step-3.5-Flash

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Step-3.5-Flash's 65,536 tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Step-3.5-Flash is limited to 8,192 tokens.

Meta
Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
StepFun
Step-3.5-Flash
Input65,536 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Tue Sep 01 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is licensed under Llama 3.1 Community License, while Step-3.5-Flash uses Apache 2.0.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Llama 3.1 Community License

Open weights

Step-3.5-Flash

Apache 2.0

Open weights

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct was released on 2024-07-23, while Step-3.5-Flash was released on 2026-02-02.

Step-3.5-Flash is 19 months newer than Llama 3.1 8B Instruct.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Jul 23, 2024

2.1 years ago

Step-3.5-Flash

Feb 2, 2026

7 months ago

1.5yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2023-12-31, while Step-3.5-Flash's cutoff date is not specified.

We can confirm Llama 3.1 8B Instruct's training data extends to 2023-12-31, but cannot make a direct comparison without Step-3.5-Flash's cutoff date.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

Dec 2023

Step-3.5-Flash

—

Provider Availability

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is available from Lambda, DeepInfra, Groq, Sambanova, Cerebras, Hyperbolic, Together, Fireworks, Bedrock. Step-3.5-Flash is available from StepFun.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct

lambda logo
Lambda
Input Price:Input: $0.03/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.03/1M
deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.05/1M
groq logo
Groq
Input Price:Input: $0.05/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.08/1M
sambanova logo
Sambanova
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
cerebras logo
Cerebras
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
hyperbolic logo
Hyperbolic
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.10/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $0.20/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.20/1M
bedrock logo
AWS Bedrock
Input Price:Input: $0.22/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.22/1M

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?Start an Issue discussion→

Judge for yourself.

Run your own prompts against Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Step-3.5-Flash side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct
✓ Preferred
Step-3.5-Flash
Open in Playground

FAQ

Common questions about Llama 3.1 8B Instruct vs Step-3.5-Flash.

Which is better, Llama 3.1 8B Instruct or Step-3.5-Flash?

Step-3.5-Flash leads the LLM Stats Score 37.3 to -2.4. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is made by Meta 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 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct compare to Step-3.5-Flash in benchmarks?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct scores GSM-8K (CoT): 84.5%, ARC-C: 83.4%, API-Bank: 82.6%, IFEval: 80.4%, BFCL: 76.1%. 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 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct cheaper than Step-3.5-Flash?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is 3.3x cheaper for input tokens. Llama 3.1 8B Instruct costs $0.03/M input and $0.03/M output via lambda. Step-3.5-Flash costs $0.10/M input and $0.40/M output via stepfun.

What are the context window sizes for Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Step-3.5-Flash?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct supports 131K 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 Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Step-3.5-Flash?

Key differences include LLM Stats Score (-2.4 vs 37.3), context window (131K vs 66K), input pricing ($0.03 vs $0.10/M), licensing (Llama 3.1 Community License vs Apache 2.0). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.

Who makes Llama 3.1 8B Instruct and Step-3.5-Flash?

Llama 3.1 8B Instruct is developed by Meta and Step-3.5-Flash is developed by StepFun.

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