Command R+ vs Palmyra X4 vs Step 2 (16K)
Palmyra X4 comes out ahead, 25 to 22 and 11 on our weighted score.
CohereCommand R+
22/100- ECI—
- Price$2.50 / $10.00
- Context128K
- Our pick
Writer
Palmyra X4
25/100- ECI—
- Price$2.50 / $10.00
- Context128K
StepFunStep 2 (16K)
11/100- ECI—
- Price$5.21 / $16.44
- Context16K
Palmyra X4 is our pick
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 against Command R+ (22) and Step 2 (16K) (11). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
- CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
- Lowest priceCommand R+ and Palmyra X4Command R+ $4.38 · Palmyra X4 $4.38 · Step 2 (16K) $8.02 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextCommand R+ and Palmyra X4Command R+ 128,000 · Palmyra X4 128,000 · Step 2 (16K) 16,384 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsCommand R+: Text · Palmyra X4: Text · Step 2 (16K): Text
- Self-hostingCommand R+Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Command R+ | Palmyra X4 | Step 2 (16K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 19 | 19 | 7 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 25 | 35 | 25 |
| Context window | 20% | 24 | 24 | 0 |
| Overall | 100% | 22/100 | 25/100 | 11/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Command R+Cohere | Palmyra X4Writer | Step 2 (16K)StepFun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $2.50 (best) | $2.50 (best) | $5.21 |
| Output | $10.00 (best) | $10.00 (best) | $16.44 |
| Cached input | — | — | $1.04 |
| Blended (3:1) | $4.38 (best) | $4.38 (best) | $8.02 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Cohere API | Median of 1 providers | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 128,000 tokens (best) | 128,000 tokens (best) | 16,384 tokens |
| Max output | 4,000 tokens | 4,096 tokens | 8,192 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | No | Yes | No |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| API model ID | command-r-plus-08-2024 | — | step-2-16k |
| API providers | 7 (best) | 1 | 1 |
| Released | Aug 30, 2024 | Oct 9, 2024 | Jan 1, 2025 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Jun 1, 2024 | — | Jun 2024 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Command R+$45.00
- Palmyra X4$45.00
- Step 2 (16K)$84.98
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Command R+, Palmyra X4 or Step 2 (16K)?
Palmyra X4 is the better all-round choice, scoring 25/100 against Command R+ (22) and Step 2 (16K) (11). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Command R+, Palmyra X4 or Step 2 (16K)?
Command R+ is cheaper at $2.50 input / $10.00 output per million tokens (official Cohere API price). Palmyra X4 costs $2.50 input / $10.00 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider); Step 2 (16K) costs $5.21 input / $16.44 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $4.38 per million tokens for Command R+ versus $4.38 for Palmyra X4 (1× as much) and $8.02 for Step 2 (16K) (1.8× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Command R+ has not been scored yet, Palmyra X4 has not been scored yet and Step 2 (16K) has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Command R+, Palmyra X4 and Step 2 (16K) yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. All three support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Command R+ and Palmyra X4 have the largest context windows (128,000 and 128,000 tokens), against 16,384 for Step 2 (16K). Maximum output per response: Command R+ up to 4,000, Palmyra X4 up to 4,096, Step 2 (16K) up to 8,192 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Command R+ accepts text; Palmyra X4 accepts text; Step 2 (16K) accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Command R+ publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Palmyra X4 and Step 2 (16K) is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Step 2 (16K) is the newest, released Jan 1, 2025. Palmyra X4 came out Oct 9, 2024; Command R+ came out Aug 30, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: Command R+ Jun 1, 2024, Step 2 (16K) Jun 2024.
How do you decide the winner?
Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.
