Step 5 Preview vs Laguna M.1
Laguna M.1 comes out ahead, 68 to 57 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.
StepFunStep 5 Preview
57/100- ECI—
- Price$1.00 / $2.70
- Context1M
- Our pick
PoolsideLaguna M.1
68/100- ECI—
- PriceFree / Free
- Context262K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Laguna M.1 is our pick
Laguna M.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Step 5 Preview (57). It leads on price. Step 5 Preview wins on inputs & features and context window. 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 priceLaguna M.1Laguna M.1 Free · Step 5 Preview $1.43 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview 1,000,000 · Laguna M.1 262,144 tokens
- Widest inputsStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview: Text, Images, Video · Laguna M.1: Text
- Self-hostingLaguna M.1Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | Step 5 Preview | Laguna M.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 43 | 100 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 60 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 57/100 | 68/100 |
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 | Step 5 PreviewStepFun | Laguna M.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.00 | Free (best) |
| Output | $2.70 | Free (best) |
| Cached input | $0.05 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.43 | Free (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official StepFun (Global) API | Official Poolside API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens (best) | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output | 1,000,000 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yeslow · medium · high | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | step-5-preview | poolside/laguna-m.1 |
| API providers | 7 (best) | 2 |
| Released | Sep 16, 2026 | Apr 28, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Step 5 Preview$15.40
- Laguna M.1Free
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Step 5 Preview or Laguna M.1?
Laguna M.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Step 5 Preview (57). It leads on price. Step 5 Preview wins on inputs & features and context window. 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, Step 5 Preview or Laguna M.1?
Laguna M.1 is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Poolside API price). Step 5 Preview costs $1.00 input / $2.70 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). Laguna M.1 is listed as free.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Step 5 Preview has not been scored yet and Laguna M.1 has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 5 Preview and Laguna M.1 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.
Which has the bigger context window?
Step 5 Preview has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 262,144 for Laguna M.1. Maximum output per response: Step 5 Preview up to 1,000,000, Laguna M.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Step 5 Preview accepts text, images and video; Laguna M.1 accepts text. Step 5 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Laguna M.1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Step 5 Preview is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Step 5 Preview is the newest, released Sep 16, 2026. Laguna M.1 came out Apr 28, 2026.
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.
