Qwen3 8B vs Step-3
Step-3 is cheaper on output tokens, while Qwen3 8B offers a larger context window. Choose Qwen3 8B or Step-3 based on the trade-off between cost, context, and the benchmarks that matter for your use case.
| Spec | Qwen3 8B | Step-3 |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Alibaba | NanoGPT |
| Input / 1M tokens | $0.18 | $0.25 |
| Output / 1M tokens | $0.70 | $0.65 |
| Context window | 131K | 66K |
| Parameters | — | — |
| Open weights | Yes | No |
| Released | Apr 2025 | Jul 2025 |
| GPQA Diamond score | 56.8 | — |
| Epoch Capabilities Index score | 136 | — |
| LMArena (Chatbot Arena) Elo score | — | 1350 |
| LMArena Vision Elo score | — | 1176 |
FAQ
Is Qwen3 8B or Step-3 cheaper?
Step-3 is cheaper on output tokens ($0.65 vs $0.70 per 1M).
Which has the larger context window, Qwen3 8B or Step-3?
Qwen3 8B has the larger context window (131K tokens).
Pricing is indicative — confirm with the provider before production use. Highlighted values indicate the better figure for that row.