# MiniMax M1 vs Step 3.5 Flash

> Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.3 to 40.3 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/minimax-m1-vs-step-3-5-flash
- Last updated: 2026-10-11
- Shared benchmarks: 17

## Summary

- They share 17 benchmarks with published results for both. MiniMax M1 scores higher in 1 category and Step 3.5 Flash in 7 categories; 8 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Step 3.5 Flash leads 58.8 to 53.1.
- Step 3.5 Flash is cheaper at $0.10 / $0.30 per million input/output tokens, against $0.55 / $2.20 for MiniMax M1.
- MiniMax M1 accepts more context: 1M tokens versus 256K.

## Snapshot

| | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | MiniMax | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 40.3 | 42.3 |
| Rank | 150 | 116 |
| Context | 1M | 256K |
| Input $/M | $0.55 | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | $2.20 | $0.30 |
| Weights | Open | Open |

## Coding

- MiniMax M1: 39.9 (#153)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.4 (#105)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1359 | 1436 |

## Reasoning

- MiniMax M1: 26.9 (#126)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 22.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1339 | 1411 |
| NYT Connections (extended) | — | 28.4% |

## Math

- MiniMax M1: 37.5 (#151)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.6 (#84)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1361 | 1408 |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |

## Knowledge

- MiniMax M1: 36.4 (#170)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.6 (#132)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1317 | 1421 |

## Multilingual

- MiniMax M1: 45.8 (#163)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.5 (#119)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1319 | 1385 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1360 | 1447 |
| LMArena French | 1370 | 1421 |
| LMArena German | 1350 | 1405 |
| LMArena Japanese | 1217 | 1354 |
| LMArena Korean | 1266 | 1352 |
| LMArena Russian | 1329 | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | 1353 | 1419 |

## Instruction Following

- MiniMax M1: 69.3 (#174)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.1 (#124)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1312 | 1385 |

## Long Context

- MiniMax M1: 41.4 (#141)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#117)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1326 | 1402 |
| Fiction.LiveBench | 69.4% | — |

## Writing & Preference

- MiniMax M1: 53.1 (#161)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 58.8 (#113)

| Benchmark | MiniMax M1 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1343 | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1298 | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1335 | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is MiniMax M1 better than Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.3 to 40.3 on the Noometry Index.

### Which is cheaper, MiniMax M1 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; MiniMax M1 lists at $0.55 and $2.20.

### Is MiniMax M1 or Step 3.5 Flash better for coding?

Step 3.5 Flash scores higher on coding benchmarks: 42.4 versus 39.9 in the Noometry coding category.

### Which has the bigger context window?

MiniMax M1 does, with 1M tokens against 256K.

### How many benchmarks do MiniMax M1 and Step 3.5 Flash share?

17 benchmarks have published results for both models. MiniMax M1 has 18 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.