AI model comparison
Step 5 Preview vs MiniMax M3
Side by side comparison of Step 5 Preview and MiniMax M3 on pricing, benchmark scores, context window, and more.
Step 5 Preview is StepFun's flagship model for agentic work, built on a sparse Mixture-of-Experts architecture (27B active / 600B total parameters).
- Input / 1M
- $1
- Output / 1M
- $2.70
- Context
- 1.05M
MiniMax-M3 is a multimodal foundation model from MiniMax.
- Input / 1M
- $0.30
- Output / 1M
- $1.20
- Context
- 1.05M
Comparing image generators? Compare image models
At a glance
Quick verdict
How the two models stack up on the things people ask about most.
Lower price
MiniMax M3
2.8x cheaper for a typical chat
Higher intelligence score
Step 5 Preview
28.5 vs 18.7 on Artificial Analysis
Larger context window
Tie
1.05M vs 1.05M tokens
Newer release
Step 5 Preview
Released October 8, 2026
Benchmarks
Benchmark scores
Independent scores from Artificial Analysis. Higher is better.
Intelligence index
Coding index
Agentic index
Pricing
Step 5 Preview vs MiniMax M3 API pricing
Per-token API rates. Cheaper option highlighted.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input tokensPer 1M tokens | $1 | $0.30 |
| Output tokensPer 1M tokens | $2.70 | $1.20 |
| Cached input (read)Per 1M tokens | $0.10 | $0.06 |
| Cache writePer 1M tokens | Not available | Not available |
What it costs in practice
Estimated cost per 1,000 requests at standard rates. Coding and long-document figures also show the cost when the input is already cached.
Chat message
2K in, 500 out
Coding task
30K in, 4K out
Long document summary
150K in, 2K out
Specs
Context window and capabilities
How much each model can read, how much it can write, and what it accepts as input.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Context window | 1.05M tokens | 1.05M tokens |
| Max output | 64K tokens | 512K tokens |
| Input types | Image, Text, Video | Image, Text, Video |
| Output types | Text | Text |
| Reasoning effort levels | High, Medium, Low | Not available |
| Default reasoning effort | Medium | Not available |
| Release date | October 8, 2026 | May 31, 2026 |
Features
Supported features
API features available for each model.
| Metric | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tool calling | Supported | Supported |
| Structured outputs | Supported | Supported |
| JSON mode | Supported | Supported |
| Reasoning | Supported | Supported |
| Temperature | Supported | Supported |
| Stop sequences | Supported | Supported |
| Deterministic seed | Supported | Supported |
| Verbosity control | Not supported | Not supported |
Keep exploring
More on these models
Other head-to-heads, the full model page, and the alternatives list for each model.
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Our take
MiniMax M3 is 2.8x cheaper for a typical chat. Step 5 Preview scores higher on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (28.5 vs 18.7). The right pick depends on your workload, so the quickest way to settle it is to send the same prompt to both and compare.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Step 5 Preview or MiniMax M3 cheaper?
MiniMax M3 is cheaper for a typical chat (2K input tokens and 500 output tokens). MiniMax M3 costs $0.30 per 1M input tokens and $1.20 per 1M output tokens, while Step 5 Preview costs $1 per 1M input tokens and $2.70 per 1M output tokens.
Which has a bigger context window, Step 5 Preview or MiniMax M3?
Step 5 Preview supports up to 1.05M tokens of context, compared with 1.05M for MiniMax M3.
Is Step 5 Preview smarter than MiniMax M3?
On the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, Step 5 Preview scores 28.5 and MiniMax M3 scores 18.7, putting Step 5 Preview ahead. Benchmarks don't capture everything, so the best test is running your own prompts through both.
Can I use Step 5 Preview and MiniMax M3 at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to multiple models at once, so you can see Step 5 Preview and MiniMax M3 answer side by side and keep the better response.
Why choose? Ask both.
Send one prompt to Step 5 Preview and MiniMax M3 at the same time. Compare the answers side by side and keep the best one.