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Nova Lite 1.0 vs Step 3.5 Flash

Step 3.5 Flash leads Nova Lite 1.0 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 17.0 to 6.7, and Nova Lite 1.0 costs 1.3x less per output token ($0.24 vs $0.30 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 34 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Nova Lite 1.0 Replace Step 3.5 Flash
Nova Lite 1.0Amazon
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.24
0
Step 3.5 FlashStepFun
Coding
No data
Overall
No data
Output $/M
$0.30
34
vs boards won of 34 shared

Nova Lite 1.0 or Step 3.5 Flash: which to pick

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.

Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for output tokens 1.3x cheaper ($0.24 vs $0.30 per million) and a larger context window (300K against 262K tokens).

Model ANova Lite 1.0AmazonNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BStep 3.5 FlashStepFunNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
34
Nova Lite 1.0 only
7
Step 3.5 Flash only
1
Like-for-like categories
7 of 9

Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.

Which one for your work

Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.

At a glance

Coding index
Nova Lite 1.0 not benchmarked, Step 3.5 Flash not benchmarked.
Widest category
Agentic work, 76.9 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
Widest single gap
τ²-Bench Telecom: Nova Lite 1.0 17.5% against Step 3.5 Flash 94.4%, 76.9 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Nova Lite 1.0 $0.24 against Step 3.5 Flash $0.30 per million output tokens, 1.3x apart.
Context window
Nova Lite 1.0 takes 300K tokens, Step 3.5 Flash 262K.

Benchmark by benchmark

First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.

Boards won, where both have a result
CategoryNova Lite 1.0BarsStep 3.5 FlashTies
Coding03
Intelligence01
Agentic work01
Reasoning05
Math02
Knowledge04
General018
All shared boards034
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index03
Coding benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)16.7%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run)0.8%32.6%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: coding12391436Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: software and IT12411434Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Intelligence benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
AA Intelligence Index6.717.0Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here
Agentic workLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Agentic work benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
τ²-Bench Telecom17.5%94.4%Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 40 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
Reasoning benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)43.3%83.1%Step 3.5 Flash
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)4.3%24.5%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: hard prompts12201411Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: expert12011421Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English12261421Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
Math benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
AA Math Index7.0Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)7.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: math12271408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: mathematical work12351421Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
Knowledge benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)59.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
MMLU77.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: science12321415Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare12131408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: legal and government12381408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: business and finance12191394Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 12 boards here
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
Neither model has a result on 9 boards here
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index018
General benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
IFBench34.1%66.5%Step 3.5 Flash
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)19.0%63.0%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text12291403Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: instruction following12051385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: creative writing11971357Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Vision990Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: English12431417Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: non-English12081385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Chinese12251446Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: German12291405Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Japanese11531353Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Korean11531351Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: French12381421Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Spanish12261419Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Russian12161385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: PolishNot measured1389Only Step 3.5 Flash measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn11991404Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: longer queries12341402Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: writing and language12111372Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: entertainment and media11761360Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Vision: English999Not measuredOnly Nova Lite 1.0 measured
Neither model has a result on the other 25 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Lite 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
Neither model has a result on 5 boards here

What each workload costs

Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.

Chat turn

1K input + 500 output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.0002Fits in one request
Step 3.5 Flash$0.0003Fits in one request

Nova Lite 1.0 costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.0037Fits in one request
Step 3.5 Flash$0.0059Fits in one request

Nova Lite 1.0 costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Nova Lite 1.0$0.014Fits in one request
Step 3.5 Flash$0.023Fits in one request

Nova Lite 1.0 costs less

Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.

Specification differences

The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.

Specifications of Nova Lite 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
SpecificationAmazon Nova Lite 1.0StepFun Step 3.5 Flash
MakerAmazonStepFun
WeightsNo public weights listedOpen weights
ReleasedDecember 5, 2024January 29, 2026
Context window300K262K
Input $/Mtok$0.06$0.10
Output $/Mtok$0.24$0.30
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it00
Cost per solved taskNot computableNot computable
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Nova Lite 1.0 better than Step 3.5 Flash for coding?

Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Nova Lite 1.0 for output tokens 1.3x cheaper ($0.24 vs $0.30 per million) and a larger context window (300K against 262K tokens).

Which is cheaper, Nova Lite 1.0 or Step 3.5 Flash?

Nova Lite 1.0 costs $0.06 per million input tokens and $0.24 per million output tokens; Step 3.5 Flash costs $0.10 and $0.30. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.

Which has the bigger context window, Nova Lite 1.0 or Step 3.5 Flash?

Nova Lite 1.0, with 300K tokens against 262K.

How many benchmarks is the Nova Lite 1.0 vs Step 3.5 Flash comparison based on?

34 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Nova Lite 1.0's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Step 3.5 Flash's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.

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