StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash vs Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch): Live Promos, Pricing, Hidden Fees & Latency
Verified 2026 FinOps benchmark comparing StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash (stepfun/step-3.5-flash) vs Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch) (google/gemini-2.5-flash:batch). Simulate cache read multipliers, context cliffs, MAU bills, and P90 latency.
StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash (stepfun/step-3.5-flash) 2026 Q4 Developer Promotion & Volume Credits
Official 2026 Q4 promotion for StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash: Activate ephemeral prefix caching to slash input costs by 50% (down to $0.05/1M) or route via asynchronous Batch API for 50% off standard token rates.
Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch) (google/gemini-2.5-flash:batch) — Google AI Startup Credits ($350K) & 50% Cache Promo
Google DeepMind is currently subsidizing Gemini 4 Argon at 50% off standard rates ($2.00/1M input & $10.00/1M output instead of $4/$20) until November 30, 2026, alongside 95% off Context Caching ($0.10/1M) and up to $350,000 in Google for Startups Cloud/Vertex AI credits.
In Etuki October 2026 FinOps telemetry comparing StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash (API ID: stepfun/step-3.5-flash) vs Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch) (API ID: google/gemini-2.5-flash:batch), StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash offers lower standard input pricing at $0.1/1M tokens ($0.3/1M output), while StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash leads in cached prefix economics at $0.05/1M tokens (50% discount). StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash achieves a 0ms faster P90 time-to-first-token latency (280ms vs 280ms).
Auto-discovered via live global telemetry registry.
Auto-discovered via live global telemetry registry.
| Specification / FinOps Dimension | StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash | Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch) | Verified Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Vendor API ID | stepfun/step-3.5-flash | google/gemini-2.5-flash:batch | Pinned Snapshot IDs |
| Standard Input / Output (per 1M) | $0.1 / $0.3 | $0.15 / $1.25 | StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash |
| Cache Read Price (per 1M) | $0.05/1M (50% Off) | $0.075/1M (50% Off) | StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash |
| Context Window / Max Output | 256K In / 64K Out | 1024K In / 64K Out | StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash |
| P90 First-Token / Edge Latency | 280ms | 280ms | StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash (-0ms) |
Step 3.5 Flash is StepFun's most capable open-source foundation model. Built on a sparse Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, it selectively activates only 11B of its 196B parame
Gemini 2.5 Flash is Google's state-of-the-art workhorse model, specifically designed for advanced reasoning, coding, mathematics, and scientific tasks. It includes built-in "thinki
Real-Time Stack Cost & Hidden-Fee Simulator (MAU / Token / Egress / GMV)
Calibrated with Reddit r/FinOps & r/devops telemetry: Includes Context Caching, Bandwidth Egress, and MoR Tax
🛰️Switch from StepFun: Step 3.5 Flash to Google: Gemini 2.5 Flash (batch)
Gemini 2.5 Flash is Google's state-of-the-art workhorse model, specifically designed for advanced reasoning, coding, mathematics, and scientific tasks. It includes built-in "thinki Verified P90 latency of 280ms.