Model Comparison
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
vs. Step 3.5 Flash 2603
Comparing 2 AI models · 7 benchmarks · Alibaba, StepFun
Recommended Pick
StStep 3.5 Flash 260310 metric winsStrongest on: Throughput, TTFT, Latency
Best Value
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
100.0 value score
38.4 reasoning / $0.11/1M
Lowest Price
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
$0.10/1M input price
Best Reasoning
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
43.7 reasoning score
Blends available reasoning benchmarks
Best for Coding
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
28.7 coding index
Composite Indices
Higher is better; speed and price are normalized
Standard Benchmarks
Only benchmarks with data are shown
Differences That Matter
Best value
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning) has the strongest quality-to-price mix at 100.0 out of 100 value points.
Speed gap
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 generates about 3.8x as many tokens per second as Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning).
Reasoning gap
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 leads Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning) by 5.3 points on reasoning.
Top-pick rationale
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 wins 10 measurable categories, including Throughput, TTFT, Latency, Reasoning.
Response Face-Off
Run one prompt through the selected models and compare response quality with live speed and cost context.
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
Alibaba
TTFT
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Time
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tok/s
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Tokens
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Cost
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Step 3.5 Flash 2603
StepFun
TTFT
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Time
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tok/s
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Tokens
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Cost
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Which answer was more useful?
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Full Comparison
| Metric | Al Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning) | Top Pick St Step 3.5 Flash 2603 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing per 1M tokens | ||
| Input Cost | $0.10/1M | $0.10/1M |
| Output Cost | $0.15/1M | $0.30/1M |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.11/1M | $0.15/1M |
| Specifications | ||
| Organization | Alibaba | StepFun |
| Release Date | Mar 2, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Performance & Speed | ||
| Throughput | 53.4 tok/s | 201.9 tok/s |
| TTFT | 1291ms | 833ms |
| Latency | 38722ms | 10739ms |
| Composite Indices | ||
| Value Score | 100.0 | 85.3 |
| Reasoning Score | 38.4 | 43.7 |
| Intelligence | 21.4 | 26.0 |
| Coding | 28.7 | — |
| Standard Benchmarks | ||
| GPQA | 80.6% | 82.6% |
| HLE | 13.3% | 22.6% |
| SciCode | 27.5% | 38.5% |
| LCR | 59.0% | 54.3% |
| IFBench | 66.7% | 66.5% |
| TAU-bench v2 | 86.8% | 87.4% |
| TerminalBench Hard | 24.2% | 32.6% |
Key Takeaways
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning) offers the best value at $0.10/1M,making it ideal for high-volume applications and cost-conscious projects.
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 has the strongest reasoning profile with a 43.7 reasoning score,combining the available reasoning-heavy benchmarks.
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning) reaches a 28.7 coding index,making it the top choice for software development and code generation tasks.
All models support context windows of ∞+ tokens,suitable for processing lengthy documents and maintaining extended conversations.
When to Choose Each Model
Qwen3.5 9B (Reasoning)
- Cost-sensitive applications
- High-volume processing
- Code generation
- Software development
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
- Complex reasoning tasks
- Research & analysis
