# Palm 2 vs Step 3.5 Flash

> Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 41.7 to 29.4 on the Noometry Index.

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

## Summary

- They share 10 benchmarks with published results for both. Palm 2 scores higher in 0 categories and Step 3.5 Flash in 7 categories; 7 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Step 3.5 Flash leads 59.0 to 25.7.
- Step 3.5 Flash has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Google | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 29.4 | 41.7 |
| Rank | 296 | 116 |
| Context | — | 256K |
| Input $/M | — | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | — | $0.30 |
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |

## Coding

- Palm 2: 28.5 (#306)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 41.7 (#106)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 995 | 1436 |

## Reasoning

- Palm 2: 18.2 (#270)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 21.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1005 | 1411 |
| NYT Connections (extended) | — | 28.4% |

## Math

- Palm 2: 28.4 (#229)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 40.6 (#77)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1049 | 1408 |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |

## Knowledge

- Palm 2: —
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.0 (#127)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | — | 1422 |

## Multilingual

- Palm 2: 21.1 (#290)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.7 (#115)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 916 | 1386 |
| LMArena Chinese | 887 | 1448 |
| LMArena French | — | 1421 |
| LMArena German | — | 1404 |
| LMArena Japanese | — | 1353 |
| LMArena Korean | — | 1350 |
| LMArena Russian | — | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | — | 1419 |

## Instruction Following

- Palm 2: 51.3 (#291)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.3 (#119)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1010 | 1385 |

## Long Context

- Palm 2: 30.7 (#280)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#112)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1010 | 1402 |

## Writing & Preference

- Palm 2: 25.7 (#299)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 59.0 (#108)

| Benchmark | Palm 2 | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1027 | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 991 | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 994 | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is Palm 2 better than Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 41.7 to 29.4 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Palm 2 or Step 3.5 Flash better for coding?

Step 3.5 Flash scores higher on coding benchmarks: 41.7 versus 28.5 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Palm 2 and Step 3.5 Flash share?

10 benchmarks have published results for both models. Palm 2 has 10 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.