| Signal | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) | Delta | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 33 | -17 | |
Benchmarks | 71 | +5 | |
Pricing | 100 | -- | |
Context window size | 76 | -9 | |
Recency | 44 | -56 | |
Output Capacity | 20 | -70 | |
| Overall Result | 1 wins | of 6 | 4 wins |
Score History
65.7
current score
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
right now
65.8
current score
Meta
StepFun
| Metric | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) | Step 3.5 Flash (free) | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66 | 66 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Rank | #105 | #104 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Quality Rank | #105 | #104 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Adoption Rank | #105 | #104 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Parameters | 70B | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 66K | 256K | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Pricing | Free | Free | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 33 | 50 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Benchmarks | 71 | 66 | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) |
| Pricing | 100 | 100 | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) |
| Context window size | 76 | 86 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Recency | 44 | 100 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Output Capacity | 20 | 90 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
Our score (0-100) is driven by benchmark performance (90%) from Arena Elo ratings, MMLU, GPQA, HumanEval, SWE-bench, and 15+ standardized evaluations. Capabilities and context window serve as tiebreakers (10%). Learn more about our methodology.
Scores 66/100 (rank #105), placing it in the top 64% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 66/100 (rank #104), placing it in the top 64% of all 290 models tracked.
With only a 0-point gap, these models are in the same performance tier. The practical difference in output quality is minimal - your choice should depend on pricing, latency requirements, and specific feature needs.
Both models are priced similarly, so the decision comes down to quality and features rather than cost.
Both models have comparable response speeds. For most applications, the latency difference is negligible.
When latency matters most: Interactive chatbots, IDE code completion, real-time translation, and user-facing applications where response time directly impacts experience. For batch processing, background summarization, or offline analysis, latency is less critical.
Code generation & review
Higher benchmark score (0/100) indicates stronger performance on coding tasks like generating functions, debugging, and refactoring
Customer support chatbot
Faster response time (speed score 0/100) is critical for user-facing chat. Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) also offers lower per-token costs for high-volume support
Long document analysis
Larger context window (256K tokens) can process longer documents, contracts, and research papers in a single pass
Batch data extraction
Lower output pricing ($0.00/M) reduces costs when processing thousands of records daily
Creative writing & content
Higher overall composite score (66/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) and Step 3.5 Flash (free) are extremely close in overall performance (only 0.09999999999999432 points apart). Your best choice depends entirely on which specific strengths matter most for your use case.
Best for Quality
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)
0% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by Meta
| Capability | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Mode | ||
| Reasoningdiffers | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
Meta
StepFun
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 66K | 256K |
| Max Output Tokens | -- | 256,000 |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Created | Dec 6, 2024 | Jan 29, 2026 |
Step 3.5 Flash (free) scores 66/100 (rank #104) compared to Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)'s 66/100 (rank #105), giving it a 0-point advantage. Step 3.5 Flash (free) is the stronger overall choice, though Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) may excel in specific areas like certain benchmarks.
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) is ranked #105 and Step 3.5 Flash (free) is ranked #104 out of 290+ AI models. Rankings use a composite score combining benchmark performance (90%) from MMLU, GPQA, HumanEval, SWE-bench, and 15+ standardized evaluations, with capabilities and context window as tiebreakers (10%). Scores update hourly.
Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) is cheaper at $0.00/M output tokens vs Step 3.5 Flash (free)'s $0.00/M output tokens - a significant difference. Input token pricing: Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free) at $0.00/M vs Step 3.5 Flash (free) at $0.00/M.
Step 3.5 Flash (free) has a larger context window of 256,000 tokens compared to Llama 3.3 70B Instruct (free)'s 65,536 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.