# GPT-5.2 Pro vs Step 3.5 Flash

> GPT-5.2 Pro is the stronger model overall, scoring 52.3 to 42.3 on the Noometry Index. Step 3.5 Flash costs 385× less per token, which makes it the better buy when GPT-5.2 Pro's lead doesn't matter for your workload.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/gpt-5-2-pro-vs-step-3-5-flash
- Last updated: 2026-10-11
- Shared benchmarks: 1

## Summary

- They share 1 benchmark with published results for both. GPT-5.2 Pro scores higher in 2 categories and Step 3.5 Flash in 0 categories; 2 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in reasoning, where GPT-5.2 Pro leads 51.5 to 22.2.
- The biggest single-benchmark swing is NYT Connections (extended): 79.3% for GPT-5.2 Pro and 28.4% for Step 3.5 Flash.
- Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper at $0.10 / $0.30 per million input/output tokens, against $21 / $168 for GPT-5.2 Pro.
- GPT-5.2 Pro accepts more context: 400K tokens versus 256K.
- Step 3.5 Flash has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 52.3 | 42.3 |
| Rank | 39 | 116 |
| Context | 400K | 256K |
| Input $/M | $21 | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | $168 | $0.30 |
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |

## Coding

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.4 (#105)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | — | 1436 |

## Reasoning

- GPT-5.2 Pro: 51.5 (#33)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 22.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| NYT Connections (extended) | 79.3% | 28.4% |
| ARC-AGI-2 | 54.2% | — |
| SimpleBench | 57.4% | — |
| ARC-AGI-1 | 90.5% | — |
| LMArena Hard Prompts | — | 1411 |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 155.4 | — |

## Math

- GPT-5.2 Pro: 65.3 (#29)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.6 (#84)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| FrontierMath (Tiers 1-3) | 74% | — |
| FrontierMath Tier 4 | 46% | — |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |
| LMArena Math | — | 1408 |
| FrontierMath Tier 4 (v1) | 31.3% | — |

## Knowledge

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.6 (#132)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | — | 1421 |

## Multilingual

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.5 (#119)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | — | 1385 |
| LMArena Chinese | — | 1447 |
| LMArena French | — | 1421 |
| LMArena German | — | 1405 |
| LMArena Japanese | — | 1354 |
| LMArena Korean | — | 1352 |
| LMArena Russian | — | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | — | 1419 |

## Instruction Following

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.1 (#124)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | — | 1385 |

## Long Context

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#117)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | — | 1402 |

## Writing & Preference

- GPT-5.2 Pro: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 58.8 (#113)

| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Pro | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | — | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | — | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | — | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is GPT-5.2 Pro better than Step 3.5 Flash?

GPT-5.2 Pro is the stronger model overall, scoring 52.3 to 42.3 on the Noometry Index. Step 3.5 Flash costs 385× less per token, which makes it the better buy when GPT-5.2 Pro's lead doesn't matter for your workload.

### Which is cheaper, GPT-5.2 Pro or Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper. It lists at $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.30 per million output tokens; GPT-5.2 Pro lists at $21 and $168.

### Which has the bigger context window?

GPT-5.2 Pro does, with 400K tokens against 256K.

### How many benchmarks do GPT-5.2 Pro and Step 3.5 Flash share?

1 benchmark has published results for both models. GPT-5.2 Pro has 8 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.