Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 vs Step 3.5 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 (2025) and Step 3.5 Flash (2026) are frontier reasoning models from AI at Meta and StepFun. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 ships a 1m-token context window, while Step 3.5 Flash ships a 256k-token context window. On pricing, Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10/1M input tokens versus $0.15/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Step 3.5 Flash is ~50% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | long-context analysis and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | RAG, Agents, and Long context | Long context |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $0.60/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 8 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 uniquely exposes Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 for RAG, Agents, and Long context.
- Step 3.5 Flash has the lower cheapest tracked output price at $0.30/1M tokens.
- Step 3.5 Flash uniquely exposes Reasoning in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Step 3.5 Flash for Long context.
Monthly cost at traffic
Estimate token spend from the cheapest tracked input and output route or tier on this page.
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8
$270
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Step 3.5 Flash
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $115. 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 $0.30/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Step 3.5 Flash adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- Provider overlap exists on OpenRouter; start route-level A/B tests there.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 is $0.30/1M tokens higher on cheapest tracked output pricing, so quality gains need to justify the spend.
- Check replacement coverage for Reasoning before moving production traffic.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 adds Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-01-29 |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Parameters | 17B | 196B (11B active) |
| Architecture | mixture of experts | mixture of experts |
| License | Open Source | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.15/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.60/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes |
| Function calling | No | No |
| Tool use | No | No |
| Structured outputs | Yes | No |
| Code execution | No | No |
| IDE integration | No | No |
| Computer use | No | No |
| Parallel agents | No | No |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on reasoning mode: Step 3.5 Flash and structured outputs: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8. Both models share the core language-model surface, so the practical split is not just feature count. Use those differences to decide whether the page is about raw model quality, agentic coding support, multimodal ingestion, or predictable structured API behavior.
For cost, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 lists $0.15/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider, while Step 3.5 Flash lists $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Step 3.5 Flash lower by about $0.13 per million blended tokens. Availability is 8 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 when long-context analysis, larger context windows, and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Step 3.5 Flash when reasoning depth and lower input-token cost are more important. For production, rerun your own prompts through the exact provider, region, and tool stack you plan to ship. This keeps the decision grounded in measurable tradeoffs instead of brand-level assumptions.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 or Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 supports 1m tokens, while Step 3.5 Flash supports 256k tokens. That gap matters most for long documents, large codebases, retrieval-heavy agents, and conversations where earlier context must remain visible.
Which is cheaper, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 costs $0.15/1M input and $0.60/1M output tokens. Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10/1M input and $0.30/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 or Step 3.5 Flash open source?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 is listed under Open Source. Step 3.5 Flash is listed under Open Source. License labels affect whether you can self-host, redistribute weights, or rely only on hosted APIs, so confirm the upstream license before deployment.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash has the clearer documented reasoning mode signal in this comparison. If reasoning mode is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for structured outputs, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 or Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 has the clearer documented structured outputs signal in this comparison. If structured outputs is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Where can I run Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 and Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct FP8 is available on Microsoft Foundry, Together AI, OpenRouter, Fireworks AI, and DeepInfra. Step 3.5 Flash is available on OpenRouter. Provider coverage can affect latency, region availability, compliance posture, and fallback options.
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Last reviewed: 2026-05-29. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.