Ministral 3 8B 2512 vs Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash leads Ministral 3 8B 2512 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 19.5 to 5.5, and Ministral 3 8B 2512 costs 7.7x less per output token ($0.15 vs $1.15 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 6 benchmarks have a result for both.
Ministral 3 8B 2512 or Step 3.7 Flash: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Ministral 3 8B 2512 for output tokens 7.7x cheaper ($0.15 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Coding Index or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 6
- Ministral 3 8B 2512 only
- 1
- Step 3.7 Flash only
- 12
- Like-for-like categories
- 3 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.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash leads, 19.5 against 5.5.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Ministral 3 8B 2512 has a AA Agentic Index result, 0.6.
Directional only
Web design
Design Arena: websites
Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash leads, 1196 against 1065.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
No call
Both take 262K tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Ministral 3 8B 2512
Ministral 3 8B 2512 $0.0002, Step 3.7 Flash $0.0008 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Ministral 3 8B 2512 not benchmarked, Step 3.7 Flash not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Coding, 29.9 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- AA Coding Index: Ministral 3 8B 2512 9.7 against Step 3.7 Flash 39.6, 29.9 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Ministral 3 8B 2512 $0.15 against Step 3.7 Flash $1.15 per million output tokens, 7.7x apart.
- Context window
- Both take 262K tokens.
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.
| Category | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Bars | Step 3.7 Flash | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 1 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Web design | 0 | 4 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 6 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index01
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | 9.7 | 39.6 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| SciCode | Not measured | 43.9% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 35.6% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| ALE-Bench | Not measured | 694.1 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 35 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 5.5 | 19.5 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 0.6 | Not measured | Only Ministral 3 8B 2512 measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 98.5% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 80.9% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | Not measured | 21.4% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 18 boards here | |||
Web designLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index04
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1065 | 1196 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Design Arena: UI components | Not measured | 1177 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 990 | 1158 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Design Arena: data viz | Not measured | 1173 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 1031 | 1129 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1053 | 1182 | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Design Arena: SVG | Not measured | 1084 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: ASCII art | Not measured | 1152 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | Not measured | 67.3% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | Not measured | 73.7% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 44 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Ministral 3 8B 2512 | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Ministral 3 8B 2512 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Ministral 3 8B 2512 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Ministral 3 8B 2512 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.
| Specification | Mistral Ministral 3 8B 2512 | StepFun Step 3.7 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Mistral AI | StepFun |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | May 28, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.15 | $0.20 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.15 | $1.15 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Ministral 3 8B 2512 better than Step 3.7 Flash for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Ministral 3 8B 2512 for output tokens 7.7x cheaper ($0.15 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Coding Index or AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Ministral 3 8B 2512 or Step 3.7 Flash?
Ministral 3 8B 2512 costs $0.15 per million input tokens and $0.15 per million output tokens; Step 3.7 Flash costs $0.20 and $1.15. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Ministral 3 8B 2512 or Step 3.7 Flash?
Neither: both take 262K tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Ministral 3 8B 2512 vs Step 3.7 Flash comparison based on?
6 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Ministral 3 8B 2512's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Step 3.7 Flash's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.