API cost decision in 10 seconds

Reka Edge vs Step 3.5 Flash

Pick Reka Edge for lower cost; pick Step 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T10:03:26Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T13:08:02Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Reka Edge for lower cost; pick Step 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Reka Edge is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash, saving $0.09 (37.5% lower).

Cost-first pickReka Edge

Context-first pickStep 3.5 Flash

Sample savings$0.0937.5%

10x traffic gap$0.9

Step 3.5 Flash has more context, but Reka Edge saves $0.09 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Reka Edge stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Reka Edge	Step 3.5 Flash
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Reka Edge	$0.55	$0.6
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Reka Edge	$0.2	$0.39
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Reka Edge	$0.6	$1.59

Cheaper input Step 3.5 Flash $0.1 vs $0.09 / 1M

Step 3.5 Flash is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (10% lower; 1.11x difference).

Cheaper output Reka Edge $0.1 vs $0.3 / 1M

Reka Edge is $0.2 cheaper per 1M output tokens (66.7% lower; 3x difference).

Larger context Step 3.5 Flash 16.38K vs 262.14K

Step 3.5 Flash has 245.76K more context (16x larger).

Sample workload Reka Edge $0.15 vs $0.24

Reka Edge is $0.09 cheaper on the standard workload (37.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Reka Edge Calculating… Estimated API cost

Step 3.5 Flash Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Step 3.5 Flash has the lower input price; Reka Edge has the lower output price; Step 3.5 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Reka Edge is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.15 for Reka Edge and $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash.

Best Fit

Choose Reka Edge when you care most about lower output-token price.

Choose Step 3.5 Flash when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Reka Edge is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash, saving $0.09 (37.5% lower).
Reka Edge is $0.09 cheaper on the standard workload (37.5% lower).
Step 3.5 Flash is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (10% lower; 1.11x difference).
Reka Edge is $0.2 cheaper per 1M output tokens (66.7% lower; 3x difference).
Step 3.5 Flash has 245.76K more context (16x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Reka Edge (rekaai)	Step 3.5 Flash (StepFun)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.1	$0.09
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.1	$0.3
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.15	$0.24
Context Window	16.38K	262.14K
Release Date	2026-03-20	2026-01-29

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Reka Edge	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Reka Edge is estimated at $0.15 vs $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash, saving $0.09 (37.5% lower).
High-volume input processing	Step 3.5 Flash	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Reka Edge	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Step 3.5 Flash	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.2 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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rekaai catalog

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