Google vs 
StepFun
Verdict
- Google's flagship leads: Gemini 4 Argon at 70.7 vs Step 5 Preview at 60.5.
- Google has the better model in 4 of 4 price bands.
- Google's fastest ranked model (Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite, 430 tok/s) beats StepFun's (Step 5 Preview, 229 tok/s).
- Google publishes more open-weights models (17 vs 5).
- Google ships more often: one model every 15 days against every 59.
Best model per price band
Each provider’s highest-index model below the price ceiling. Purple marks the winner of the band.
| Price band | StepFun | |
|---|---|---|
| Under $0.50/M | Gemma 4 26B A4B 56.2$0.198/M | Step 3.5 Flash 53.7$0.150/M |
| Under $2/M | Gemini 3.8 Flash high 64.4$1.50/M | Step 5 Preview 60.5$1.43/M |
| Under $10/M | Gemini 4 Argon high 70.7$4.00/M | Step 5 Preview 60.5$1.43/M |
| Any price | Gemini 4 Argon high 70.7$4.00/M | Step 5 Preview 60.5$1.43/M |
Line-up
| Metric | StepFun | |
|---|---|---|
| Flagship index | 70.7 | 60.5 |
| Ranked models | 40 | 7 |
| Open-weights models | 17 | 5 |
| Cheapest ranked, $/M | $0.040 | $0.150 |
| Fastest ranked, tok/s | 430 | 229 |
| Release cadence, days | 15 | 59 |
| Last release | 6 Oct 2026 | 18 Sept 2026 |
| Next expected | 15 Oct 2026 – 27 Oct 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 – 9 Dec 2026 |