Model comparison

GPT-5.3 Codex vs Step 5 Preview

Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 47.9 to 45.8 on the Noometry Index.

Last verified . 1 shared benchmarks.

GPT-5.3 Codex OpenAI

45.8

Rank #69 Reported

Step 5 Preview StepFun

47.9

Rank #58 Confirmed

Summary

  • They share 1 benchmark with published results for both. GPT-5.3 Codex scores higher in 0 categories and Step 5 Preview in 1 category; one gap is clear of the uncertainty.
  • The widest gap is in coding, where Step 5 Preview leads 51.8 to 48.6.
  • Step 5 Preview is cheaper at $1 / $2.70 per million input/output tokens, against $1.75 / $14 for GPT-5.3 Codex.
  • Step 5 Preview accepts more context: 1.02M tokens versus 400K.

Side by side

GPT-5.3 Codex and Step 5 Preview specifications
GPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
ProviderOpenAIStepFun
Noometry Index45.847.9
Released2026-02-052026-09-16
WeightsProprietaryProprietary
Context window400K1.02M
Max output128K66K
Input $ / M tokens$1.75$1
Output $ / M tokens$14$2.70
Results tracked818

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Category by category

Coding Step 5 Preview leads

GPT-5.3 Codex: 48.6 (#56), Step 5 Preview: 51.8 (#36)

Coding benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena WebDev14091564
SWE-bench Verified74.8%—
SciCode—58.9%
WeirdML79.3%—
LMArena Coding—1480
ALE-Bench1,655—

Agentic & Tool Use Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: 48.0 (#9), Step 5 Preview: —

Agentic & Tool Use benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
Terminal-Bench78.4%—
METR Time Horizons74.5%—
Vending-Bench 25,940—

Reasoning Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 40.0 (#57)

Reasoning benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
CritPt—20.9%
LMArena Hard Prompts—1465
Epoch Capabilities Index156.77—

Math Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 46.1 (#72)

Math benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
ProofBench—42%
LMArena Math—1470

Knowledge Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 41.2 (#112)

Knowledge benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Expert—1470

Multimodal Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 41.0 (#41)

Multimodal benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Vision—1267

Multilingual Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 53.8 (#54)

Multilingual benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Non-English—1432
LMArena Chinese—1519
LMArena Russian—1436
LMArena Spanish—1439

Instruction Following Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 76.0 (#50)

Instruction Following benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Instruction Following—1444

Long Context Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 44.5 (#64)

Long Context benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Longer Query—1455

Writing & Preference Not comparable

GPT-5.3 Codex: —, Step 5 Preview: 62.8 (#71)

Writing & Preference benchmarks
BenchmarkGPT-5.3 CodexStep 5 Preview
LMArena Text—1442
LMArena Creative Writing—1410
LMArena Multi-Turn—1447

Frequently asked questions

Is GPT-5.3 Codex better than Step 5 Preview?

Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 47.9 to 45.8 on the Noometry Index.

Which is cheaper, GPT-5.3 Codex or Step 5 Preview?

Step 5 Preview is cheaper. It lists at $1 per million input tokens and $2.70 per million output tokens; GPT-5.3 Codex lists at $1.75 and $14.

Is GPT-5.3 Codex or Step 5 Preview better for coding?

Step 5 Preview scores higher on coding benchmarks: 51.8 versus 48.6 in the Noometry coding category.

Which has the bigger context window?

Step 5 Preview does, with 1.02M tokens against 400K.

How many benchmarks do GPT-5.3 Codex and Step 5 Preview share?

1 benchmark has published results for both models. GPT-5.3 Codex has 8 scored results on Noometry and Step 5 Preview has 18.

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