# Qwen3.5 Max Preview vs Step 3.5 Flash

> Qwen3.5 Max Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 44.7 to 41.7 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/qwen3-5-max-preview-vs-step-3-5-flash
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Shared benchmarks: 17

## Summary

- They share 17 benchmarks with published results for both. Qwen3.5 Max Preview scores higher in 7 categories and Step 3.5 Flash in 1 category; 8 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in reasoning, where Qwen3.5 Max Preview leads 29.6 to 21.2.
- Step 3.5 Flash has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba (Qwen) | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 44.7 | 41.7 |
| Rank | 72 | 116 |
| Context | — | 256K |
| Input $/M | — | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | — | $0.30 |
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |

## Coding

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 43.4 (#79)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 41.7 (#106)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1488 | 1436 |

## Reasoning

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 29.6 (#81)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 21.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1483 | 1411 |
| NYT Connections (extended) | — | 28.4% |

## Math

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 37.3 (#99)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 40.6 (#77)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1473 | 1408 |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |

## Knowledge

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 41.1 (#104)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.0 (#127)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1489 | 1422 |

## Multilingual

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 56.4 (#21)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.7 (#115)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1465 | 1386 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1534 | 1448 |
| LMArena French | 1483 | 1421 |
| LMArena German | 1487 | 1404 |
| LMArena Japanese | 1497 | 1353 |
| LMArena Korean | 1438 | 1350 |
| LMArena Russian | 1472 | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | 1470 | 1419 |

## Instruction Following

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 77.2 (#28)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.3 (#119)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1467 | 1385 |

## Long Context

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 45.2 (#44)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#112)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1477 | 1402 |

## Writing & Preference

- Qwen3.5 Max Preview: 66.1 (#39)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 59.0 (#108)

| Benchmark | Qwen3.5 Max Preview | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1471 | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1464 | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1478 | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is Qwen3.5 Max Preview better than Step 3.5 Flash?

Qwen3.5 Max Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 44.7 to 41.7 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Qwen3.5 Max Preview or Step 3.5 Flash better for coding?

Qwen3.5 Max Preview scores higher on coding benchmarks: 43.4 versus 41.7 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Qwen3.5 Max Preview and Step 3.5 Flash share?

17 benchmarks have published results for both models. Qwen3.5 Max Preview has 17 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.