o4-mini vs Step 3.5 Flash
o4-mini (2025) and Step 3.5 Flash (2026) are frontier-tier reasoning models from OpenAI and StepFun. o4-mini ships a not-yet-sourced context window, while Step 3.5 Flash ships a 256K-token context window. On pricing, Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.1/1M input tokens versus $0.5/1M for the alternative. This comparison covers specs, pricing, capabilities, benchmarks, provider availability, and production fit. It focuses on practical selection signals rather than broad model-family marketing.
Step 3.5 Flash is ~400% cheaper at $0.1/1M; pay for o4-mini only for coding workflow support.
Specs
| Released | 2025-04-16 | 2026-01-29 |
| Context window | — | 256K |
| Parameters | — | 196B (11B active) |
| Architecture | decoder only | mixture of experts |
| License | Proprietary | Open Source |
| Knowledge cutoff | 2025-08 | - |
Pricing and availability
| o4-mini | Step 3.5 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.5/1M tokens | $0.1/1M tokens |
| Output price | $2/1M tokens | $0.3/1M tokens |
| Providers |
Capabilities
| o4-mini | Step 3.5 Flash | |
|---|---|---|
| Vision | ||
| Multimodal | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Function calling | ||
| Tool use | ||
| Structured outputs | ||
| Code execution |
Benchmarks
No shared benchmark rows are currently sourced for this pair.
Deep dive
The capability footprint differs most on vision: o4-mini, multimodal input: o4-mini, function calling: o4-mini, tool use: o4-mini, structured outputs: o4-mini, and code execution: o4-mini. Both models share reasoning mode, 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, o4-mini lists $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens, while Step 3.5 Flash lists $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens on the cheapest tracked provider. A 70/30 input-output blend puts Step 3.5 Flash lower by about $0.79 per million blended tokens. Availability is 4 providers versus 1, so concentration risk also matters.
Choose o4-mini when coding workflow support and broader provider choice are central to the workload. Choose Step 3.5 Flash when provider fit 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. It also helps separate model capability from provider packaging, which can change cost and latency.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, o4-mini or Step 3.5 Flash?
Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper on tracked token pricing. o4-mini costs $0.5/1M input and $2/1M output tokens. Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.1/1M input and $0.3/1M output tokens. Provider discounts or batch pricing can still change the final bill.
Is o4-mini or Step 3.5 Flash open source?
o4-mini 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 vision, o4-mini or Step 3.5 Flash?
o4-mini has the clearer documented vision signal in this comparison. If vision is mission-critical, validate it against the provider endpoint because model-level support and API-level exposure can differ. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Which is better for multimodal input, o4-mini or Step 3.5 Flash?
o4-mini 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, o4-mini or Step 3.5 Flash?
Both o4-mini and Step 3.5 Flash expose reasoning mode. The better choice depends on benchmark fit, context budget, pricing, and whether your provider route exposes the same capability surface. Use this as a quick comparison signal, then confirm the provider-specific limits before committing to production.
Where can I run o4-mini and Step 3.5 Flash?
o4-mini is available on OpenAI API, OpenRouter, OpenAI Batch API, and Replicate API. 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: 2026-04-24. Data sourced from public model cards and provider documentation.