// alternatives · October 2026
Step 5 Preview alternatives
Cheaper models that come close, budget substitutes, and the cheapest step up — chosen on published LiveBench scores and live list price, never on our opinion. Every model here supports tool calling and image input, as Step 5 Preview does.
The closest cheaper alternative to Step 5 Preview is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 — 15.4 points higher overall, 63% cheaper on LiveBench and list price.
Step 5 Preview: 58.6 overall on LiveBench, $1.43 per 1M blended tokens, about $602.00/mo for a RAG assistant.
Cheaper, close in quality
Lower list price and within 5 points of Step 5 Preview on LiveBench overall — the switches least likely to be noticed by users. Strongest first.
| Model | Overall | vs Step 5 Preview | Blended / 1M | RAG assistant | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017deepseek 15.4 points higher overall, 63% cheaper. Head to head → | 74.0 | +15.4 | $0.525−63% | $194.40/mo | 1.0M |
| Claude Haiku 5.5anthropic 11.2 points higher overall, 86% cheaper. Head to head → | 69.8 | +11.2 | $0.200−86% | $74.00/mo | 1M |
| MiMo-V2.6-Proxiaomi 9.9 points higher overall, 62% cheaper. Head to head → | 68.5 | +9.9 | $0.544−62% | $227.64/mo | 1.1M |
| MiniMax M3.1 Flashminimax 8.3 points higher overall, 82% cheaper. Head to head → | 66.9 | +8.3 | $0.262−82% | $102.00/mo | 1.0M |
| GPT-6 Lunaopenai 6.0 points higher overall, 86% cheaper. Head to head → | 64.6 | +6.0 | $0.200−86% | $74.00/mo | 1.1M |
Budget substitutes
Within 15 points of Step 5 Preview, cheapest first — and only models that are the best score at their price, so nothing here is beaten by a cheaper pick. Worth testing for high-volume traffic where the last few points matter less than the bill.
| Model | Overall | vs Step 5 Preview | Blended / 1M | RAG assistant | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLM 5.3 Flashz-ai 3.5 points higher overall, 83% cheaper. Head to head → | 62.1 | +3.5 | $0.237−83% | $102.00/mo | 1.0M |
Match it on one task for less
For each LiveBench category, the cheapest model that scores at least as well as Step 5 Preview there. Useful when your workload is mostly one kind of task.
| Category | Cheapest match | Score | Blended / 1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-horizon agentic | Claude Haiku 5.5 | 40.0 vs 19.4 | $0.200−86% |
| Coding | Claude Haiku 5.5 | 91.4 vs 85.6 | $0.200−86% |
| Reasoning | DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 | 89.1 vs 83.8 | $0.525−63% |
| Browser | Claude Haiku 5.5 | 69.5 vs 24.8 | $0.200−86% |
| Data analysis | GPT-6 Luna | 73.4 vs 63.5 | $0.200−86% |
| Research | Claude Haiku 5.5 | 81.9 vs 72.8 | $0.200−86% |
| Documents & design | Claude Haiku 5.5 | 83.1 vs 76.9 | $0.200−86% |
Stronger options, cheapest first
Models that beat Step 5 Preview on LiveBench overall, ordered by what the upgrade costs.
| Model | Overall | vs Step 5 Preview | Blended / 1M | RAG assistant | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 5.5anthropic 11.2 points higher overall, 86% cheaper. Head to head → | 69.8 | +11.2 | $0.200−86% | $74.00/mo | 1M |
| GPT-6 Lunaopenai 6.0 points higher overall, 86% cheaper. Head to head → | 64.6 | +6.0 | $0.200−86% | $74.00/mo | 1.1M |
| GLM 5.3 Flashz-ai 3.5 points higher overall, 83% cheaper. Head to head → | 62.1 | +3.5 | $0.237−83% | $102.00/mo | 1.0M |
| MiniMax M3.1 Flashminimax 8.3 points higher overall, 82% cheaper. Head to head → | 66.9 | +8.3 | $0.262−82% | $102.00/mo | 1.0M |
| DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017deepseek 15.4 points higher overall, 63% cheaper. Head to head → | 74.0 | +15.4 | $0.525−63% | $194.40/mo | 1.0M |
Step 5 Preview alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to Step 5 Preview?
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017. 15.4 points higher overall, 63% cheaper. Every suggestion supports tool calling and image input, like Step 5 Preview.
What is the cheapest alternative to Step 5 Preview?
Claude Haiku 5.5 at $0.200 per 1M blended tokens, scoring 69.8 overall against Step 5 Preview's 58.6. On a RAG assistant at 100K requests a month that is $74.00 instead of $602.00.
Which model is better than Step 5 Preview?
The cheapest model that scores higher overall on LiveBench is Claude Haiku 5.5 — 11.2 points higher overall, 86% cheaper.
Is there a cheaper model that matches Step 5 Preview on specific tasks?
Yes, in 7 of the seven LiveBench categories. For example, long-horizon agentic: Claude Haiku 5.5 (40.0 vs 19.4); coding: Claude Haiku 5.5 (91.4 vs 85.6); reasoning: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (89.1 vs 83.8).
How alternatives are chosen
- Scores — LiveBench release 2026-10-25. Only models with a published run are suggested on quality; a missing model means “not evaluated”, not “worse”.
- Prices — live list prices from OpenRouter, blended 3:1 input:output. Monthly figures price a RAG assistant with the published cached-input rate where there is one.
- Same job — suggestions must support every capability Step 5 Preview has among tool calling and image input. Other listings of the same model (free or batch tiers) are variants, not alternatives, and are left out.
A few points on a public benchmark can hide large differences on your own tasks. Shortlist here, then decide with an eval — how to build one.