StepFun Step 3.5 Flash vs Notion AI
Which one should you pick? Here's the full breakdown.
StepFun Step 3.5 Flash
StepFun's (China) agent-focused open-weight model -- Step 3.5 Flash launched 2026-02-01. 196B sparse MoE, ~11B active. Benchmarks slightly ahead of DeepSeek V3.2 at over 3x smaller total size. Step 3 (321B / 38B active, Apache 2.0) and Step3-VL-10B multimodal also in the family
Notion AI
AI built into the workspace you already use -- summarize, draft, and brainstorm without leaving Notion
| Category | StepFun Step 3.5 Flash | Notion AI |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 6.0 | 9.0 |
| Output Quality | 8.0 | 6.0 |
| Value | 9.0 | 6.0 |
| Features | 8.0 | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.8 | 7.0 |
Pricing Comparison
| Feature | StepFun Step 3.5 Flash | Notion AI |
|---|---|---|
| Free Tier | Yes | No |
| Starting Price | $0 | $10 |
Which Should You Pick?
Pick StepFun Step 3.5 Flash if...
- ✓Higher output quality (8 vs 6)
- ✓Better value for money (9/10)
- ✓More features (8 vs 7)
- ✓Has a free tier
Teams building agent systems on Chinese open-weight foundations who want something other than DeepSeek or Qwen, especially if agentic tool-use is the primary workload. Also good for Chinese-market products where StepFun's domestic tuning advantages matter. And for anyone looking to add diversity to their open-weight evaluation matrix beyond the top-3 Chinese labs.
Visit StepFun Step 3.5 FlashPick Notion AI if...
- ✓Easier to use (9 vs 6)
Teams already deep in Notion who want AI assistance without adding another tool to the stack.
Visit Notion AIOur Verdict
StepFun Step 3.5 Flash edges out Notion AI with a 7.8 vs 7.0 overall score. Both are solid picks, but StepFun Step 3.5 Flash has the advantage in output quality.