Amazon vs 
StepFun
Verdict
- StepFun's flagship leads: Step 3.5 Flash at 55.0 vs Nova 2.0 Pro Preview at 52.4.
- StepFun has the better model in 4 of 4 price bands.
- Amazon's fastest ranked model (Nova Micro, 261 tok/s) beats StepFun's (Step 3.5 Flash, 216 tok/s).
- StepFun publishes more open-weights models (3 vs 0).
- Amazon ships more often: one model every 34 days against every 406.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | Amazon | StepFun |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Nova Micro 40.3$0.065/M | Step 3.5 Flash 55.0$0.150/M |
| Under $2/M | Nova 2.0 Lite (high) thinking 50.6$0.850/M | Step 3.5 Flash 55.0$0.150/M |
| Under $10/M | Nova 2.0 Pro Preview medium 52.4$3.44/M | Step 3.5 Flash 55.0$0.150/M |
| Any price | Nova 2.0 Pro Preview medium 52.4$3.44/M | Step 3.5 Flash 55.0$0.150/M |
Line-up
| Metric | Amazon | StepFun |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 52.4 | 55.0 |
| Ranked models | 7 | 4 |
| Open-weights models | 0 | 3 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.065 | $0.150 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 261 | 216 |
| Release cadence, days | 34 | 406 |
| Last release | 2 Dec 2025 | 29 May 2026 |
| Next expected | 22 Dec 2025 – 18 Jan 2026 | 27 Jan 2027 – 18 Dec 2027 |