API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewStep 3.7 Flash vs Gemma 3 4B

Pick Gemma 3 4B for lower cost; pick Step 3.7 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Gemma 3 4B for lower cost; pick Step 3.7 Flash only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 4B is estimated at $0.08 vs $0.77 for Step 3.7 Flash, saving $0.69 (89.7% lower).

Cost-first pickGemma 3 4B
Context-first pickStep 3.7 Flash
Sample savings$0.6989.7%
10x traffic gap$6.95

Step 3.7 Flash has more context, but Gemma 3 4B saves $0.69 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $6.95. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Gemma 3 4B stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickStep 3.7 FlashGemma 3 4B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputGemma 3 4B$1.57$0.24
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputGemma 3 4B$1.35$0.12
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputGemma 3 4B$5.95$0.44
Cheaper input Gemma 3 4B $0.2 vs $0.04 / 1M

Gemma 3 4B is $0.16 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).

Cheaper output Gemma 3 4B $1.15 vs $0.08 / 1M

Gemma 3 4B is $1.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93% lower; 14.4x difference).

Larger context Step 3.7 Flash 256K vs 131.07K

Step 3.7 Flash has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).

Sample workload Gemma 3 4B $0.77 vs $0.08

Gemma 3 4B is $0.69 cheaper on the standard workload (89.7% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Step 3.7 Flash Calculating… Estimated API cost
Gemma 3 4B 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

Gemma 3 4B has the lower input price; Gemma 3 4B has the lower output price; Step 3.7 Flash offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Gemma 3 4B is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.77 for Step 3.7 Flash and $0.08 for Gemma 3 4B.

Best Fit

Choose Step 3.7 Flash when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Gemma 3 4B when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 4B is estimated at $0.08 vs $0.77 for Step 3.7 Flash, saving $0.69 (89.7% lower).
  • Gemma 3 4B is $0.69 cheaper on the standard workload (89.7% lower).
  • Gemma 3 4B is $0.16 cheaper per 1M input tokens (80% lower; 5x difference).
  • Gemma 3 4B is $1.07 cheaper per 1M output tokens (93% lower; 14.4x difference).
  • Step 3.7 Flash has 124.93K more context (1.95x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewStep 3.7 Flash
(StepFun)		Gemma 3 4B
(Google)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$0.2$0.04
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$1.15$0.08
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$0.77$0.08
Context Window256K131.07K
Release Date
Popularity#101#146

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionGemma 3 4BOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Gemma 3 4B is estimated at $0.08 vs $0.77 for Step 3.7 Flash, saving $0.69 (89.7% lower).
High-volume input processingGemma 3 4BLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsGemma 3 4BLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workStep 3.7 FlashA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • Step 3.5 Flash can replace Step 3.7 Flash when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.24.
  • Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemma 3 4B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemma 3 4B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemma 3 4B when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
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.
  • MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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StepFun catalog

Review all tracked StepFun models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Google catalog

Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Google models
Step 3.7 Flash

Step 3.7 Flash is StepFun's latest high-efficiency multimodal Mixture-of-Experts model. It pairs a 196B-parameter language backbone with a vision encoder for native image and video understanding, activating roughly 11B parameters...

Gemma 3 4B

Gemma 3 introduces multimodality, supporting vision-language input and text outputs. It handles context windows up to 128k tokens, understands over 140 languages, and offers improved math, reasoning, and chat capabilities,...