Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash leads Hermes 3 70B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 19.5 to 6.7, and Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs 1.6x less per output token ($0.70 vs $1.15 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 3 benchmarks have a result for both.
Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Step 3.7 Flash: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 1.6x cheaper ($0.70 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index or GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
- Shared results
- 3
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct only
- 2
- Step 3.7 Flash only
- 16
- Like-for-like categories
- 2 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 6.7.
Same board, both measured
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Step 3.7 Flash has a Design Arena: websites result, 1196.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash takes 262K tokens against 131K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Step 3.7 Flash
Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.0010, Step 3.7 Flash $0.0008 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct not benchmarked, Step 3.7 Flash not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Reasoning, 29.1 points apart on average over 2 shared benchmarks.
- Widest single gap
- GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run): Hermes 3 70B Instruct 40.1% against Step 3.7 Flash 80.9%, 40.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.70 against Step 3.7 Flash $1.15 per million output tokens, 1.6x apart.
- Context window
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct takes 131K tokens, Step 3.7 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.
| Category | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Bars | Step 3.7 Flash | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 2 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 3 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | Not measured | 39.6 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 18.8% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| 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 38 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 6.7 | 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 index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | Not measured | 98.5% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 40.1% | 80.9% | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.0% | 21.4% | Step 3.7 Flash |
| Neither model has a result on the other 21 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MathArena | Not measured | 19.1% | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 57.1% | Not measured | Only Hermes 3 70B Instruct measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 19 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index8 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | Not measured | 1196 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | Not measured | 1177 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | Not measured | 1157 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | Not measured | 1172 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | Not measured | 1129 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | Not measured | 1181 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: SVG | Not measured | 1083 | 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 | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | 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 46 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | 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
Step 3.7 Flash costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Step 3.7 Flash costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Step 3.7 Flash 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 | Nous Hermes 3 70B Instruct | StepFun Step 3.7 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Nous Research | StepFun |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | August 18, 2024 | May 28, 2026 |
| Context window | 131K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.70 | $0.20 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.70 | $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 Hermes 3 70B Instruct better than Step 3.7 Flash for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 1.6x cheaper ($0.70 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index or GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run), where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Step 3.7 Flash?
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs $0.70 per million input tokens and $0.70 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, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Step 3.7 Flash?
Step 3.7 Flash, with 262K tokens against 131K.
How many benchmarks is the Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Step 3.7 Flash comparison based on?
3 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Hermes 3 70B Instruct'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.