Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct vs Step 3.5 Flash
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct (2025) and Step 3.5 Flash (2026) are frontier reasoning models from AI at Meta and StepFun. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct 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 $0.24/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit.
Step 3.5 Flash is ~140% cheaper at $0.10/1M; pay for Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct only for long-context analysis.
Decision scorecard
Local evidence first| Signal | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | multimodal apps, long-context analysis, and provider-routed production | reasoning-heavy apps |
| Decision fit | Coding, RAG, and Long context | Long context |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Cheapest output | $0.97/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Provider routes | 2 tracked | 1 tracked |
| Shared benchmarks | 0 rows | 0 rows |
Decision tradeoffs
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has the larger context window for long prompts, retrieval packs, or transcript analysis.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has broader tracked provider coverage for fallback and procurement flexibility.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct uniquely exposes Multimodal and Structured outputs in local model data.
- Local decision data tags Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct for Coding, RAG, 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
$435
Cheapest tracked route/tier: AWS Bedrock
Step 3.5 Flash
$155
Cheapest tracked route/tier: OpenRouter
Estimated monthly gap: $280. Batch, cache, alternate speed tiers, and negotiated pricing are excluded from this local estimate.
Switch friction
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Step 3.5 Flash; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Step 3.5 Flash is $0.67/1M tokens lower on cheapest tracked output pricing before cache, batch, or negotiated discounts.
- Check replacement coverage for Multimodal and Structured outputs before moving production traffic.
- Step 3.5 Flash adds Reasoning in local capability data.
- No overlapping tracked provider route is sourced for Step 3.5 Flash and Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct; plan for SDK, billing, or endpoint changes.
- Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is $0.67/1M 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 adds Multimodal and Structured outputs in local capability data.
Specs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2025-04-05 | 2026-01-29 |
| Context window | 1m | 256k |
| Parameters | 400B (17B active) | 196B (11B active) |
| Architecture | - | mixture of experts |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2024-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| Pricing attribute | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.24/1M tokens | $0.10/1M tokens |
| Output price | $0.97/1M tokens | $0.30/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| Capability | Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | No | No |
| Multimodal | Yes | 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 multimodal input: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct, reasoning mode: Step 3.5 Flash, and structured outputs: Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct. 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 lists $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M 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 $0.30 per million blended tokens. Availability is 2 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct 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.
FAQ
Which has a larger context window, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct 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 or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct costs $0.24/1M input and $0.97/1M 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 or Step 3.5 Flash open source?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is listed under Proprietary. 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 multimodal input, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct or Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct has the clearer documented multimodal input signal in this comparison. If multimodal input is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ.
Which is better for reasoning mode, Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct 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.
Where can I run Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct and Step 3.5 Flash?
Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct is available on AWS Bedrock and Vercel AI Gateway. 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.