SSyncDev

AI model comparison

Step 3.5 Flash vs Inkling Small

Compare pricing, context limits, supported inputs and deployment options to choose a model for your workflow.

Step 3.5 Flash from StepFun lists 256K context, 256K maximum output, $0.10 input per 1M tokens, $0.30 output per 1M tokens. Inkling Small from Thinkingmachines lists 1.05M context, 1.05M maximum output, $0.50 input per 1M tokens, $1.20 output per 1M tokens. Compare the inputs, outputs and deployment options below to see which fits your workflow.

Side-by-sideCapabilities and practical differences

StepFun

Step 3.5 Flash

Step 3.5 Flash from StepFun: StepFun flash lane for quick multimodal reasoning and coding assistance.

Context
256K
Max output
256K
Input / 1M tokens
$0.10
Output / 1M tokens
$0.30

Accepts

  • Text input

Produces

  • Text output
Full model profilegithub.com ↗
VS

Thinkingmachines

Inkling Small

Inkling Small from Thinkingmachines: Multimodal MoE reasoning model (276B total, 12B active) for text, image, and audio.

Context
1.05M
Max output
1.05M
Input / 1M tokens
$0.50
Output / 1M tokens
$1.20

Accepts

  • Text input
  • Image input
  • Audio input

Produces

  • Text output
Full model profilegithub.com ↗

At a glance

Key differences

Compare the available figures below, then try both models on the work you need to do.

Step 3.5 Flash

  • Input price: $0.10
  • Output price: $0.30

Inkling Small

  • Context capacity: 1.05M
  • Maximum output: 1.05M

Context capacity

Higher listed limit

Step 3.5 Flash:256K

Inkling Small:1.05M

Inkling Small

Maximum output

Higher listed limit

Step 3.5 Flash:256K

Inkling Small:1.05M

Inkling Small

Input price

Lower listed token rate

Step 3.5 Flash:$0.10

Inkling Small:$0.50

Step 3.5 Flash

Output price

Lower listed token rate

Step 3.5 Flash:$0.30

Inkling Small:$1.20

Step 3.5 Flash

Specifications

Pricing, limits and capabilities

Specifications for Step 3.5 Flash and Inkling Small. Higher limits and lower prices describe these figures only.
SpecificationStep 3.5 FlashInkling Small
ProviderStepFunThinkingmachines
Listed pricing routeStepFunThinkingmachines
Model family—ling
Accepted inputstexttext, image, audio
Produced outputstexttext
Context window256K1.05MHigher
Max output256K1.05MHigher
Input price / 1M$0.10Lower$0.50
Output price / 1M$0.30Lower$1.20
Reasoning modeDocumentedDocumented
Tool callingDocumentedDocumented
Image inputNot documentedDocumented
Audio inputNot documentedDocumented
Structured outputNot documentedNot documented
LicenseOpen weightsApache-2.0

Workload guidance

Which model should you choose?

Consider Step 3.5 Flash if you need a lower listed input rate or a lower listed output rate. Consider Inkling Small if you need larger context or larger maximum output. Test both on the same representative examples and judge the output against your acceptance criteria. Include tool failures, retries and the time to a completed task.

Documentation and model profiles

Explore each model’s features, API requirements and licence terms in the sources below.

Questions people ask

It brings together documented inputs and outputs, token limits, deployment terms and available pricing. When both models have source-linked, verified results on a shared benchmark, those results are shown with their individual sources. The comparison is a starting point for evaluating your own workload.

Compare a different pair

Search by model or provider to explore another comparison.

Open model comparison