Model comparison
Phi-4 Mini vs Step 5 Preview
Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.8 to 30.4 on the Noometry Index. Phi-4 Mini costs 11× less per token, which makes it the better buy when Step 5 Preview's lead doesn't matter for your workload.
Last verified . 2 shared benchmarks.
Microsoft
StepFunSummary
- They share 2 benchmarks with published results for both. Phi-4 Mini scores higher in 0 categories and Step 5 Preview in 2 categories; 2 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in coding, where Step 5 Preview leads 50.6 to 27.6.
- The biggest single-benchmark swing is SciCode: 10.8% for Phi-4 Mini and 58.9% for Step 5 Preview.
- Phi-4 Mini is cheaper at $0.075 / $0.30 per million input/output tokens, against $1 / $2.70 for Step 5 Preview.
- Step 5 Preview accepts more context: 1.02M tokens versus 128K.
- Phi-4 Mini has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.
Side by side
| Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 30.4 | 43.8 |
| Released | 2024-12-11 | 2026-09-16 |
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |
| Context window | 128K | 1.02M |
| Max output | 4K | 66K |
| Input $ / M tokens | $0.075 | $1 |
| Output $ / M tokens | $0.30 | $2.70 |
| Results tracked | 3 | 3 |
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Category by category
Coding Step 5 Preview leads
Phi-4 Mini: 27.6 (#312), Step 5 Preview: 50.6 (#40)
| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| SciCode | 10.8% | 58.9% |
| LMArena WebDev | — | 1569 |
Reasoning Step 5 Preview leads
Phi-4 Mini: 21.7 (#190), Step 5 Preview: 38.0 (#58)
| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| CritPt | 0% | 20.9% |
Knowledge Not comparable
Phi-4 Mini: 24.8 (#261), Step 5 Preview: —
| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vectara Hallucination Rate | 23.5% | — |
Frequently asked questions
Is Phi-4 Mini better than Step 5 Preview?
Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.8 to 30.4 on the Noometry Index. Phi-4 Mini costs 11× less per token, which makes it the better buy when Step 5 Preview's lead doesn't matter for your workload.
Which is cheaper, Phi-4 Mini or Step 5 Preview?
Phi-4 Mini is cheaper. It lists at $0.075 per million input tokens and $0.30 per million output tokens; Step 5 Preview lists at $1 and $2.70.
Is Phi-4 Mini or Step 5 Preview better for coding?
Step 5 Preview scores higher on coding benchmarks: 50.6 versus 27.6 in the Noometry coding category.
Which has the bigger context window?
Step 5 Preview does, with 1.02M tokens against 128K.
How many benchmarks do Phi-4 Mini and Step 5 Preview share?
2 benchmarks have published results for both models. Phi-4 Mini has 3 scored results on Noometry and Step 5 Preview has 3.