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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Step 5 Preview vs North Mini Code

North Mini Code comes out ahead, 71 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

    Cohere

    North Mini Code

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    71/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove North Mini Code

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

North Mini Code is our pick

North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 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 priceNorth Mini CodeNorth Mini Code Free · Step 5 Preview $1.43 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview 1,000,000 · North Mini Code 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview: Text, Images, Video · North Mini Code: Text
  • Self-hostingNorth Mini CodePublishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightStep 5 PreviewNorth Mini Code
Price50%43100
Inputs & features30%8045
Context window20%6036
Overall100%57/10071/100

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 North Mini Code specifications side by side
SpecificationStep 5 PreviewStepFunNorth Mini CodeCohere
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$1.00Free (best)
Output$2.70Free (best)
Cached input$0.05—
Blended (3:1)$1.43Free (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial StepFun (Global) APIOfficial Cohere API
Limits
Context window1,000,000 tokens (best)256,000 tokens
Max output1,000,000 tokens (best)64,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · highYeshigh
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesYes
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model IDstep-5-previewnorth-mini-code-1-0
API providers7 (best)2
ReleasedSep 16, 2026Jun 9, 2026
Knowledge cutoff—Sep 23, 2025
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
  • North Mini CodeFree
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Step 5 Preview or North Mini Code?

North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 71/100 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 North Mini Code?

North Mini Code is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Cohere API price). Step 5 Preview costs $1.00 input / $2.70 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). North Mini Code 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 North Mini Code has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 5 Preview and North Mini Code 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 256,000 for North Mini Code. Maximum output per response: Step 5 Preview up to 1,000,000, North Mini Code up to 64,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Step 5 Preview accepts text, images and video; North Mini Code accepts text. Step 5 Preview handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

North Mini Code 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. North Mini Code came out Jun 9, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: North Mini Code Sep 23, 2025.

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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