| Signal | Step 3.5 Flash (free) | Delta | GLM 4.7 |
|---|---|---|---|
Capabilities | 50 | -17 | |
Pricing | 30 | +28 | |
Context window size | 86 | +2 | |
Recency | 100 | -- | |
Output Capacity | 90 | +10 | |
Benchmarks | 0 | -72 | |
| Overall Result | 3 wins | of 6 | 2 wins |
0
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30
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StepFun
Zhipu AI
Step 3.5 Flash (free) saves you $126.50/month
That's $1518.00/year compared to GLM 4.7 at your current usage level of 100K calls/month.
| Metric | Step 3.5 Flash (free) | GLM 4.7 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40 | 73 | GLM 4.7 |
| Rank | #144 | #53 | GLM 4.7 |
| Quality Rank | #144 | #53 | GLM 4.7 |
| Adoption Rank | #144 | #53 | GLM 4.7 |
| Parameters | -- | -- | -- |
| Context Window | 256K | 203K | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Pricing | Free | $0.39/$1.75/M | -- |
| Signal Scores | |||
| Capabilities | 50 | 67 | GLM 4.7 |
| Pricing | 30 | 2 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Context window size | 86 | 84 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Recency | 100 | 100 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Output Capacity | 90 | 80 | Step 3.5 Flash (free) |
| Benchmarks | -- | 72 | GLM 4.7 |
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%). Here's what the scores mean for these two models:
Scores 40/100 (rank #144), placing it in the top 51% of all 290 models tracked.
Scores 73/100 (rank #53), placing it in the top 82% of all 290 models tracked.
GLM 4.7 has a 33-point advantage, which typically translates to noticeably stronger performance on complex reasoning, code generation, and multi-step tasks.
Compare the cost per quality point to find the best value for your specific workload.
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. Step 3.5 Flash (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 (73/100) correlates with better nuance, coherence, and style in long-form content
GLM 4.7 clearly outperforms Step 3.5 Flash (free) with a significant 32.7-point lead. For most general use cases, GLM 4.7 is the stronger choice. However, Step 3.5 Flash (free) may still excel in niche scenarios.
Best for Quality
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
Marginally better benchmark scores; both are excellent
Best for Cost
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
100% lower pricing; better value at scale
Best for Reliability
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
Higher uptime and faster response speeds
Best for Prototyping
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
Stronger community support and better developer experience
Best for Production
Step 3.5 Flash (free)
Wider enterprise adoption and proven at scale
by StepFun
| Capability | Step 3.5 Flash (free) | GLM 4.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Function Calling | ||
| Streaming | ||
| JSON Modediffers | ||
| Reasoning | ||
| Web Search | ||
| Image Output |
StepFun
Zhipu AI
Step 3.5 Flash (free) saves you $2.80/month
That's 100% cheaper than GLM 4.7 at 1,000 tokens/request and 100 requests/day.
Assumes 60% input / 40% output token ratio per request. Actual costs may vary based on your usage pattern.
| Parameter | Step 3.5 Flash (free) | GLM 4.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Context Window | 256K | 203K |
| Max Output Tokens | 256,000 | 65,535 |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Created | Jan 29, 2026 | Dec 22, 2025 |
GLM 4.7 scores 73/100 (rank #53) compared to Step 3.5 Flash (free)'s 40/100 (rank #144), giving it a 33-point advantage. GLM 4.7 is the stronger overall choice, though Step 3.5 Flash (free) may excel in specific areas like cost efficiency.
Step 3.5 Flash (free) is ranked #144 and GLM 4.7 is ranked #53 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.
Step 3.5 Flash (free) is cheaper at $0.00/M output tokens vs GLM 4.7's $1.75/M output tokens - 1750.0x more expensive. Input token pricing: Step 3.5 Flash (free) at $0.00/M vs GLM 4.7 at $0.39/M.
Step 3.5 Flash (free) has a larger context window of 256,000 tokens compared to GLM 4.7's 202,752 tokens. A larger context window means the model can process longer documents and conversations.