text model comparison
Grok 4.20 vs Step 5 Preview
Grok 4.20 and Step 5 Preview are both current text models, from xAI and StepFun. Step 5 Preview is 20% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Grok 4.20, $1 vs $1.25. Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context.
Data verified October 13, 2026 · Dataset 2026-10-13
Side by side
Standard-tier prices in effect today. The better value in each row is highlighted.
| Fact | Grok 4.20 | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M input tokens | $1.25 | $1 (better) |
| Price per 1M output tokens | $2.50 (better) | $2.70 |
| Cost of 10M input and 2M output tokens | $17.50 | $15.40 (better) |
| Arena Text | 1472 Elo (#26 of 49) | Not measured |
| GPQA Diamond | 89.3% (#31 of 40) | Not measured |
| FrontierMath Tiers 1-3 (v2) | 44.9% (#34 of 40) | Not measured |
| SimpleQA Verified | 30.2% (#32 of 36) | Not measured |
| Provider | xAI | StepFun |
| Release date | March 10, 2026 | Not reported |
| Access | API only | API only |
| Context window | 1,000,000 tokens | 1,000,000 tokens |
| Max output | Not reported | 64,000 tokens |
| Input | text, image | text, image, video |
| Output | text | text |
When to choose each
Grok 4.20
Best for
- Comparing single-agent and multi-agent reasoning on long-context workloads
Watch out for
- The published base rates double when requests reach the provider's 200,000-token long-context threshold
Step 5 Preview
Best for
- Long-context agentic coding and finance work
Watch out for
- A preview: StepFun publishes no release date, parameter count or benchmark scores for it
- Output tokens are billed including the reasoning trace, and output is capped at 64K tokens
Grok 4.20 vs Step 5 Preview FAQ
Which is cheaper, Grok 4.20 or Step 5 Preview?
Step 5 Preview is 20% cheaper per 1M input tokens than Grok 4.20, $1 vs $1.25. For 10M input and 2M output tokens, Grok 4.20 costs $17.50 and Step 5 Preview $15.40 at standard rates.
Which has the larger context window, Grok 4.20 or Step 5 Preview?
Both accept 1,000,000 tokens of context.
Related comparisons
Production evaluation
Choosing between Grok 4.20 and Step 5 Preview?
Public benchmarks narrow the shortlist. We run both on your own tasks, data and cost limits, then build the routing and review controls to run the winner in production.
- A head-to-head evaluation on your real workload
- Routing between models by cost and difficulty