Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking vs Step 3.7 Flash
Step 3.7 Flash leads Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 19.5 to 9.5, at about the same output price ($1.15 vs $1.00 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 1 benchmarks have a result for both.
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking or Step 3.7 Flash: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking for output tokens 1.1x cheaper ($1.00 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
- Shared results
- 1
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking only
- 0
- Step 3.7 Flash only
- 17
- Like-for-like categories
- 1 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 9.5.
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
No call
Both take 262K tokens.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Step 3.7 Flash
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking $0.0008, Step 3.7 Flash $0.0008 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking not benchmarked, Step 3.7 Flash not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Intelligence, 10.0 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- AA Intelligence Index: Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking 9.5 against Step 3.7 Flash 19.5, 10.0 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking $1.00 against Step 3.7 Flash $1.15 per million output tokens, 1.1x 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | Bars | Step 3.7 Flash | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 1 |
CodingDirectional onlySix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Coding Index | Not measured | 39.6 | Only Step 3.7 Flash 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 35 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 9.5 | 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 index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 40 boards here | |||
ReasoningDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index2 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | Step 3.7 Flash | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 18 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index8 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 | 1158 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | Not measured | 1173 | 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 | 1182 | Only Step 3.7 Flash measured |
| 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | 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 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking | StepFun Step 3.7 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Qwen | StepFun |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | October 6, 2025 | May 28, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 262K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.29 | $0.20 |
| Output $/Mtok | $1.00 | $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 Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking better than Step 3.7 Flash for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking for output tokens 1.1x cheaper ($1.00 vs $1.15 per million) and work measured by AA Intelligence Index, where it leads.
Which is cheaper, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking or Step 3.7 Flash?
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking costs $0.29 per million input tokens and $1.00 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, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking or Step 3.7 Flash?
Neither: both take 262K tokens.
How many benchmarks is the Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking vs Step 3.7 Flash comparison based on?
1 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Qwen3 VL 30B A3B Thinking'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.