ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Step 5 Preview vs North Small Translate

Step 5 Preview comes out ahead, 57 to 50 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    StepFun

    Step 5 Preview

    Released Sep 16, 2026

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

  2. Cohere

    North Small Translate

    Released Sep 9, 2026

    50/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context16K
    Full specs Remove North Small Translate

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Step 5 Preview is our pick

Step 5 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against North Small Translate (50). It leads on inputs & features and context window. North Small Translate 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 priceNorth Small TranslateNorth Small Translate Free · Step 5 Preview $1.43 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview 1,000,000 · North Small Translate 16,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsStep 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview: Text, Images, Video · North Small Translate: Text
  • Self-hostingNorth Small TranslatePublishes downloadable weights (CC-BY-NC-4.0)
How the score is built
MeasureWeightStep 5 PreviewNorth Small Translate
Price50%43100
Inputs & features30%800
Context window20%600
Overall100%57/10050/100

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 Small Translate specifications side by side
SpecificationStep 5 PreviewStepFunNorth Small TranslateCohere
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)16,000 tokens
Max output1,000,000 tokens (best)16,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYeslow · medium · highNo
Tool callingYesNo
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpenCC-BY-NC-4.0
API model IDstep-5-previewnorth-small-translate-09-2026
API providers7 (best)1
ReleasedSep 16, 2026Sep 9, 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
  • North Small TranslateFree
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Step 5 Preview or North Small Translate?

Step 5 Preview is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against North Small Translate (50). It leads on inputs & features and context window. North Small Translate 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 North Small Translate?

North Small Translate 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 Small Translate 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 Small Translate has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Step 5 Preview and North Small Translate yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Note that North Small Translate does not support tool calling, which most coding agents need.

Which has the bigger context window?

Step 5 Preview has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 16,000 for North Small Translate. Maximum output per response: Step 5 Preview up to 1,000,000, North Small Translate up to 16,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

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

Are any of these open source?

North Small Translate publishes its weights (CC-BY-NC-4.0) and can be self-hosted; Step 5 Preview is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Step 5 Preview is the newest, released Sep 16, 2026. North Small Translate came out Sep 9, 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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