API cost decision in 10 seconds

Step 3.5 Flash vs Granite 4.0 Micro

Pick Granite 4.0 Micro for lower cost; pick Step 3.5 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Granite 4.0 Micro 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, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash, saving $0.17 (69.6% lower).

Cost-first pickGranite 4.0 Micro
Context-first pickStep 3.5 Flash
Sample savings$0.1769.6%
10x traffic gap$1.67

Step 3.5 Flash has more context, but Granite 4.0 Micro saves $0.17 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $1.67. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Granite 4.0 Micro stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickStep 3.5 FlashGranite 4.0 Micro
Input-heavy / RAG 5M input + 500K output Granite 4.0 Micro $0.6 $0.14
Balanced workload 1M input + 1M output Granite 4.0 Micro $0.39 $0.13
Output-heavy chatbot 1M input + 5M output Granite 4.0 Micro $1.59 $0.58
Cheaper inputGranite 4.0 Micro$0.09 vs $0.02 / 1M
Cheaper outputGranite 4.0 Micro$0.3 vs $0.11 / 1M
Larger contextStep 3.5 Flash262.14K vs 131K
Sample workloadGranite 4.0 Micro$0.24 vs $0.07

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Step 3.5 FlashCalculating…Estimated API cost
Granite 4.0 MicroCalculating…Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workloadCalculating…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

Granite 4.0 Micro has the lower input price, Granite 4.0 Micro has the lower output price, and Step 3.5 Flash offers the larger context window.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash and $0.07 for Granite 4.0 Micro.

Best Fit

Choose Step 3.5 Flash when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Granite 4.0 Micro when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureStep 3.5 Flash
(StepFun)		Granite 4.0 Micro
(IBM)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.09$0.02
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$0.3$0.11
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.24$0.07
Context Window262.14K131K
Release Date2026-01-292025-10-20
Step 3.5 Flash

Step 3.5 Flash is StepFun's most capable open-source foundation model. Built on a sparse Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, it selectively activates only 11B of its 196B parameters per token....

Granite 4.0 Micro

Granite-4.0-H-Micro is a 3B parameter from the Granite 4 family of models. These models are the latest in a series of models released by IBM. They are fine-tuned for long...

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGranite 4.0 MicroOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Granite 4.0 Micro is estimated at $0.07 vs $0.24 for Step 3.5 Flash, saving $0.17 (69.6% lower).
High-volume input processingGranite 4.0 MicroLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts or retrieved passages dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGranite 4.0 MicroLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workStep 3.5 FlashA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages and source files.