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Nova Micro 1.0 vs Step 3.5 Flash

Step 3.5 Flash leads Nova Micro 1.0 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 17.0 to 5.9, and Nova Micro 1.0 costs 2.1x less per output token ($0.14 vs $0.30 per million). Updated October 21, 2026; 34 benchmarks have a result for both.

Replace Nova Micro 1.0 Replace Step 3.5 Flash
Nova Micro 1.0Amazon
Coding
No data
Overall
5.9
Output $/M
$0.14
0
Step 3.5 FlashStepFun
Coding
No data
Overall
17.0
Output $/M
$0.30
34
vs boards won of 34 shared

Nova Micro 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 Micro 1.0 for output tokens 2.1x cheaper ($0.14 vs $0.30 per million) and work measured by Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) or LMArena Text: coding, where it leads.

Model ANova Micro 1.0AmazonNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved taskModel BStep 3.5 FlashStepFunNot benchmarkedNo coding benchmarkNo cost per solved task
Shared results
34
Nova Micro 1.0 only
5
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 Micro 1.0 not benchmarked, Step 3.5 Flash not benchmarked.
Widest category
Agentic work, 80.4 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
Widest single gap
τ²-Bench Telecom: Nova Micro 1.0 14.0% against Step 3.5 Flash 94.4%, 80.4 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
Output price
Nova Micro 1.0 $0.14 against Step 3.5 Flash $0.30 per million output tokens, 2.1x apart.
Context window
Nova Micro 1.0 takes 128K 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 Micro 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 Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run)14.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Micro 1.0 measured
Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run)1.5%32.6%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: coding12181436Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: software and IT12151434Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
Intelligence benchmarks for Nova Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
AA Intelligence Index5.917.0Step 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 Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
τ²-Bench Telecom14.0%94.4%Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index05
Reasoning benchmarks for Nova Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run)35.8%83.1%Step 3.5 Flash
Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run)4.6%24.5%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: hard prompts11911411Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: expert11831421Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: hard prompts in English12031421Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here
MathLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
Math benchmarks for Nova Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
AA Math Index6.0Not measuredOnly Nova Micro 1.0 measured
AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run)6.0%Not measuredOnly Nova Micro 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: math12061408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: mathematical work12121421Step 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 Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run)53.1%Not measuredOnly Nova Micro 1.0 measured
MMLU70.8%Not measuredOnly Nova Micro 1.0 measured
LMArena Text: science12101415Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare12071408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: legal and government12211408Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: business and finance11821394Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Web design benchmarks for Nova Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 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 Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 1.0Step 3.5 FlashLeader
IFBench29.4%66.5%Step 3.5 Flash
Long context reasoning (AA-LCR)13.0%63.0%Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text12081403Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: instruction following11741385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: creative writing11721357Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: English12241417Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: non-English11861385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Chinese12091446Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: German11921405Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Japanese11541353Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Korean11501351Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: French12381421Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Spanish12251419Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: Russian11851385Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: PolishNot measured1389Only Step 3.5 Flash measured
LMArena Text: multi-turn11781404Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: longer queries12051402Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: writing and language11921372Step 3.5 Flash
LMArena Text: entertainment and media11631360Step 3.5 Flash
Neither model has a result on the other 27 boards here
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
Image generation benchmarks for Nova Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
BenchmarkNova Micro 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 Micro 1.0$0.0001Fits in one request
Step 3.5 Flash$0.0003Fits in one request

Nova Micro 1.0 costs less

Repository review

50K input + 3K output tokens

Nova Micro 1.0$0.0022Fits in one request
Step 3.5 Flash$0.0059Fits in one request

Nova Micro 1.0 costs less

Agent loop

200K input + 10K output tokens

Nova Micro 1.0$0.0084Exceeds the context window
Step 3.5 Flash$0.023Fits in one request

Nova Micro 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 Micro 1.0 and Step 3.5 Flash
SpecificationAmazon Nova Micro 1.0StepFun Step 3.5 Flash
MakerAmazonStepFun
WeightsNo public weights listedOpen weights
ReleasedDecember 5, 2024January 29, 2026
Context window128K262K
Input $/Mtok$0.035$0.10
Output $/Mtok$0.14$0.30
Coding indexNot benchmarkedNot benchmarked
Independent measurements behind it00
Cost per solved taskNot computableNot computable
SourceOpenRouter listingOpenRouter listing

Questions

Is Nova Micro 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 Micro 1.0 for output tokens 2.1x cheaper ($0.14 vs $0.30 per million) and work measured by Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) or LMArena Text: coding, where it leads.

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

Nova Micro 1.0 costs $0.035 per million input tokens and $0.14 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 Micro 1.0 or Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash, with 262K tokens against 128K.

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

34 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Nova Micro 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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