Model Comparison
Qwen3 Max Thinking
vs. Step 3.5 Flash 2603
Comparing 2 AI models · 7 benchmarks · Alibaba, StepFun
Recommended Pick
Al Qwen3 Max Thinking 9 metric wins Strongest on: TTFT, Latency, Reasoning
Best Value
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
100.0 value score
47.9 reasoning / $0.15/1M
Lowest Price
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
$0.10/1M input price
Best Reasoning
Qwen3 Max Thinking
50.7 reasoning score
Blends available reasoning benchmarks
Best for Coding
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
34.6 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
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 has the strongest quality-to-price mix at 100.0 out of 100 value points.
Price gap
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 is 12x cheaper on input tokens than Qwen3 Max Thinking.
Reasoning gap
Qwen3 Max Thinking leads Step 3.5 Flash 2603 by 2.8 points on reasoning.
Coding gap
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 leads Qwen3 Max Thinking by 4.1 points on coding.
Top-pick rationale
Qwen3 Max Thinking wins 9 measurable categories, including TTFT, Latency, Reasoning, Intelligence.
Response Face-Off
Run one prompt through the selected models and compare response quality with live speed and cost context.
Qwen3 Max Thinking
Alibaba
TTFT
—
Time
—
tok/s
—
Tokens
—
Cost
—
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
StepFun
TTFT
—
Time
—
tok/s
—
Tokens
—
Cost
—
Which answer was more useful?
Full Comparison
| Metric | Top Pick Al Qwen3 Max Thinking | St Step 3.5 Flash 2603 |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing per 1M tokens | ||
| Input Cost | $1.20/1M | $0.10/1M |
| Output Cost | $6.00/1M | $0.30/1M |
| Blended (3:1) | $2.40/1M | $0.15/1M |
| Specifications | ||
| Organization | Alibaba | StepFun |
| Release Date | Jan 26, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Performance & Speed | ||
| Throughput | — | 189.4 tok/s |
| TTFT | — | 872ms |
| Latency | — | 11434ms |
| Composite Indices | ||
| Value Score | 6.6 | 100.0 |
| Reasoning Score | 50.7 | 47.9 |
| Intelligence | 39.8 | 38.5 |
| Coding | 30.5 | 34.6 |
| Standard Benchmarks | ||
| GPQA | 86.1% | 82.6% |
| HLE | 26.2% | 22.6% |
| SciCode | 43.1% | 38.5% |
| LCR | 66.0% | 54.3% |
| IFBench | 70.7% | 66.5% |
| TAU-bench v2 | 83.6% | 87.4% |
| TerminalBench Hard | 24.2% | 32.6% |
Key Takeaways
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 offers the best value at $0.10/1M, making it ideal for high-volume applications and cost-conscious projects.
Qwen3 Max Thinking has the strongest reasoning profile with a 50.7 reasoning score, combining the available reasoning-heavy benchmarks.
Step 3.5 Flash 2603 reaches a 34.6 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 Max Thinking
- Complex reasoning tasks
- Research & analysis
Step 3.5 Flash 2603
- Cost-sensitive applications
- High-volume processing
- Code generation
- Software development
