Claude Opus 4.7 vs Step 3.5 Flash
Claude Opus 4.7 (2026) and Step 3.5 Flash (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from Anthropic and StepFun. Claude Opus 4.7 ships a 1m-token context window, while Step 3.5 Flash ships a 256k-token context window. On SWE-bench Verified, Claude Opus 4.7 leads by 13.2 pts. On pricing, Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, API access, capabilities, benchmarks, input and output token costs, and production fit for coding and agent workloads.
Step 3.5 Flash is ~4900% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Claude Opus 4.7 only for coding workflow support.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Claude Opus 4.7 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | reasoning-heavy apps, multimodal apps, and tool-calling agents | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Agents | Coding, Agents, and Long context |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $25/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 6 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | SWE-bench Verified leader | 1 shared |
Decision tradeoffs
- Claude Opus 4.7 holds a shared-benchmark lead on SWE-bench Verified, ahead by 13.2 points.
- Claude Opus 4.7 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Claude Opus 4.7 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and route flexibility.
- Claude Opus 4.7 uniquely exposes Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Claude Opus 4.7 for Coding, RAG, and Agents.
- Step 3.5 Flash has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Local decision data tags Step 3.5 Flash for Coding, Agents, and Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Claude Opus 4.7
$10,250
Cheapest tracked route/tier: Anthropic
Step 3.5 Flash
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $10,095. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Step 3.5 Flash is $24.70/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use before moving production traffic.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Claude Opus 4.7 is $24.70/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Claude Opus 4.7 adds Vision, Multimodal, and JSON / Tool use in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026-04-16 | 2026-01-29 |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Parameters | — | 196B (11B active) |
| Architecture | Decoder Only | Mixture of Experts |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Openness | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Weights | Not released | Not released |
| Code | Unknown | Unknown |
| Commercial use | Commercial use: conditional | Commercial use: conditional |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2026-01 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Claude Opus 4.7 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $5/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $25/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Claude Opus 4.7 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| JSON / Tool use | Yes | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | Yes | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
| Benchmark | Claude Opus 4.7 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified | 87.6 | 74.4 |
Continue comparing
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Last reviewed: 2026-07-26. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.