AI Models · Open-Source vs Paid

Step 5 Preview Open vs GPT-6 Luna (batch) Paid

Step 5 Preview vs GPT-6 Luna (batch) compared — price per token, context window, multimodality, openness and which to choose. Can the open-source model replace the paid one? Full 2026 breakdown.

Prices & specs refreshed from live data · olud.ai

Open-model prices = cheapest provider via OpenRouter; official maker rates may be higher.

Step 5 PreviewOpenStepfun
$1 /M input
$2.7 /M outputNo per-token fees if you self-host
TypeOpen-weight
Context window1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostYes
GPT-6 Luna (batch)PaidOpenAI
$0.05 /M input
$0.25 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window1.1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
Choose Step 5 Preview if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose GPT-6 Luna (batch) if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

Step 5 Preview vs GPT-6 Luna (batch) specs

SpecStep 5 PreviewGPT-6 Luna (batch)Winner
MakerStepfunOpenAI–
TypeOpen-weightProprietaryStep 5 Preview
Context window1M tokens1.1M tokensGPT-6 Luna (batch)
Input price$1/M · free self-host$0.05/MGPT-6 Luna (batch)
Output price$2.7/M · free self-host$0.25/MGPT-6 Luna (batch)
Vision / multimodalYesYes= Tie
Tool / function callingYesYes= Tie
Self-hostableYesNo (API only)Step 5 Preview
LicenseOpen weightsProprietaryStep 5 Preview

Price gap & when to choose each

11×cheaper per output token

GPT-6 Luna (batch) is ~11× cheaper than Step 5 Preview on output tokens ($0.25 vs $2.7 per M tokens).

Choose Step 5 Preview if…
  • You want to self-host or run on your cloud
  • You prioritize data privacy & control
  • You are building open or reproducible AI
Choose GPT-6 Luna (batch) if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You need the longer 1.1M context window
  • You want the lower output price
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure

Feature comparison

CapabilityStep 5 PreviewGPT-6 Luna (batch)
Open weights (downloadable)✓✗
Self-hostable✓✗
Runs fully offline✓✗
Vision / multimodal✓✓
Tool / function calling✓✓
1M+ context window✓✓

Benchmarks: Step 5 Preview vs GPT-6 Luna (batch)

Independent benchmark scores measured by Artificial Analysis. Higher is better (except latency).

GPT-6 Luna (batch) delivers 6.2× more intelligence per dollar.
Step 5 Preview
GPT-6 Luna (batch)
Intelligence index
43.7
38.1
Humanity's Last Exam
46.5%
38.5%
Long Context Reasoning
88.3%
83.3%
SciCode
58.9%
54.6%
Speed
88.5 tok/s
132.9 tok/s
Latency
1.43s
161.07s
Intelligence per $
30.7
190.5

Benchmark data by Artificial Analysis.

How Step 5 Preview and GPT-6 Luna (batch) score

🏆 Best value & openness: Step 5 Preview (4.9 vs 3.5 / 5)
CriterionStep 5 PreviewGPT-6 Luna (batch)
Cost-efficiency4.55.0
Context window5.05.0
Openness5.01.5
Self-hosting5.01.0
Multimodality5.05.0

Scores come from live data — output price (cost), context length, open vs closed weights (openness & self-hosting) and vision/tool support (multimodality). Raw task quality isn't scored here; it depends on your benchmark — see the verdict.

What each model is

Step 5 Preview Open

Stepfun · Open-weight

Step 5 Preview is StepFun's flagship model for agentic work, built on a sparse Mixture-of-Experts architecture (27B active / 600B total parameters). It performs strongly in software engineering and professional...

GPT-6 Luna (batch) Paid

OpenAI · Proprietary

GPT-6 Luna is the fast, cost-efficient model in OpenAI's GPT-6 series, positioned below GPT-6 Sol. It is suited for high-volume and latency-sensitive workloads such as chat, classification, and lightweight agentic...

Other models in these families

These variants are tracked but not compared here — one page per family keeps the comparison readable.

Other variants tracked
Step 3.7 FlashStep 3.5 Flash

Frequently asked questions

Is Step 5 Preview as good as GPT-6 Luna (batch)?

Step 5 Preview is open-weight and competitive on many tasks, but GPT-6 Luna (batch) may still lead on the hardest reasoning and agentic work. The gap keeps narrowing — benchmark both on your actual use case before deciding.

Can I run Step 5 Preview locally?

Yes. Step 5 Preview has open weights, so you can self-host it on your own GPUs or run it via a low-cost API. GPT-6 Luna (batch) is API-only and cannot be self-hosted.

Step 5 Preview vs GPT-6 Luna (batch) — which should I pick in 2026?

Choose Step 5 Preview if you want to self-host, keep your data private and skip per-token fees — it's open-weight and runs on your own hardware. Choose GPT-6 Luna (batch) if you want frontier capability through a managed API with zero infrastructure to run.

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