Step 5 Preview vs Macaron V1 Venti
Step 5 Preview comes out ahead, 56 to 44 on our weighted score, though Macaron V1 Venti is 13% cheaper per token.
- Our pick
StepFunStep 5 Preview
56/100- ECI—
- Price$1.00 / $2.70
- Context1M
Mindlab
Macaron V1 Venti
44/100- ECI—
- Price$0.825 / $2.48
- Context1.05M
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Step 5 Preview is our pick
Step 5 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 56/100 against Macaron V1 Venti (44). It leads on inputs & features. Macaron V1 Venti wins on price. 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 priceMacaron V1 VentiMacaron V1 Venti $1.24 · Step 5 Preview $1.43 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextMacaron V1 VentiMacaron V1 Venti 1,048,576 · Step 5 Preview 1,000,000 tokens
- Widest inputsStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview: Text, Images, Video · Macaron V1 Venti: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Step 5 Preview | Macaron V1 Venti |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 41 | 44 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 60 | 61 |
| Overall | 100% | 56/100 | 44/100 |
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 | Macaron V1 VentiMindlab |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $1.00 | $0.825 (best) |
| Output | $2.70 | $2.48 (best) |
| Cached input | $0.10 | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $1.43 | $1.24 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official StepFun (Global) API | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 1,000,000 tokens (best) | 131,072 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 | Open | OpenMIT |
| API model ID | step-5-preview | — |
| API providers | 18 (best) | 1 |
| Released | Sep 16, 2026 | Jul 21, 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
- Macaron V1 Venti$13.20
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Step 5 Preview or Macaron V1 Venti?
Step 5 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 56/100 against Macaron V1 Venti (44). It leads on inputs & features. Macaron V1 Venti wins on price. 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 Macaron V1 Venti?
Macaron V1 Venti is cheaper at $0.825 input / $2.48 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 $1.24 per million tokens for Macaron V1 Venti versus $1.43 for Step 5 Preview (1.2× 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 Macaron V1 Venti has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 5 Preview and Macaron V1 Venti 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?
Macaron V1 Venti has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 1,000,000 for Step 5 Preview. Maximum output per response: Step 5 Preview up to 1,000,000, Macaron V1 Venti up to 131,072 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Step 5 Preview accepts text, images and video; Macaron V1 Venti accepts text. Step 5 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (MIT), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Step 5 Preview is the newest, released Sep 16, 2026. Macaron V1 Venti came out Jul 21, 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 Nov 2, 2026.
