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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Step 5 Preview vs Ling 3.1 Flash

Ling 3.1 Flash comes out ahead, 65 to 57 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. StepFun

    Step 5 Preview

    Released Sep 16, 2026

    57/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$1.00 / $2.70
    • Context1M
    Full specs Remove Step 5 Preview
  2. Our pick

    inclusionAI

    Ling 3.1 Flash

    Released Sep 29, 2026

    65/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.075 / $0.22
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Ling 3.1 Flash

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Ling 3.1 Flash is our pick

Ling 3.1 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 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 priceLing 3.1 FlashLing 3.1 Flash $0.111 · Step 5 Preview $1.43 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview 1,000,000 · Ling 3.1 Flash 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview: Text, Images, Video · Ling 3.1 Flash: Text
  • Self-hostingNo open weightsBoth are available only through APIs
How the score is built
MeasureWeightStep 5 PreviewLing 3.1 Flash
Price50%4395
Inputs & features30%8035
Context window20%6037
Overall100%57/10065/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

Step 5 Preview vs Ling 3.1 Flash specifications side by side
SpecificationStep 5 PreviewStepFunLing 3.1 FlashinclusionAI
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$1.00$0.075 (best)
Output$2.70$0.22 (best)
Cached input$0.05—
Blended (3:1)$1.43$0.111 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial StepFun (Global) APIMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window1,000,000 tokens (best)262,144 tokens
Max output1,000,000 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · highYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
API model IDstep-5-preview—
API providers7 (best)3
ReleasedSep 16, 2026Sep 29, 2026
Knowledge cutoff——
03 — Cost

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
  • Ling 3.1 Flash$1.19
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Step 5 Preview or Ling 3.1 Flash?

Ling 3.1 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 65/100 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 Ling 3.1 Flash?

Ling 3.1 Flash is cheaper at $0.075 input / $0.22 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Step 5 Preview costs $1.00 input / $2.70 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.111 per million tokens for Ling 3.1 Flash versus $1.43 for Step 5 Preview (13× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Step 5 Preview has not been scored yet and Ling 3.1 Flash has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 5 Preview and Ling 3.1 Flash 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 Ling 3.1 Flash. Maximum output per response: Step 5 Preview up to 1,000,000, Ling 3.1 Flash up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Step 5 Preview accepts text, images and video; Ling 3.1 Flash accepts text. Step 5 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

No. Step 5 Preview and Ling 3.1 Flash are proprietary and only available through APIs and apps.

Which is newer?

Ling 3.1 Flash is the newest, released Sep 29, 2026. Step 5 Preview came out Sep 16, 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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