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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. Grok Code Fast 1 vs Step 5 Preview
Updated Oct 2026

Grok Code Fast 1 vs Step 5 Preview

Grok Code Fast 1 is cheaper than Step 5 Preview at $0.2/M vs $1/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
Grok Code Fast 1
Loading the build
Step 5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Year-by-Year Table (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions: Revenue growth: FY2026: 8% on $900m = $972m; FY2027: 7% on $972m ≈ $1,040m; FY2028: 6% on $1,040m ≈ $1,102m; FY2029: 5% on $1,102m ≈ $1,158m; FY2030: 5% on $1,158m ≈ $1,215m. EBITDA: Revenue × margin (FY2026: 14%; FY2027: 15%; FY2028: 16%; FY2029: 16.5%; FY2030: 17%).

    Step 5 Preview: HarborTech Services — 5-Year LBO (Base Case) Entry Math (FY2025 close) Item Calculation $m Purchase EV 12.0x × $120m 1,440.0 Transaction fees 2.0% × EV 28.8 Term Loan 4.0x × $120m 480.0 Mezzanine 1.5x × $120m 180.0 Equity check 1,440 + 28.8 − 660 808.8 Conventions: TL amortization = 1.0% of original principal…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Comprehensive 3-Month Longevity Biohacking Plan This plan is designed for an experienced biohacker seeking to optimize longevity, physical performance, and cognitive function through evidence-based, cutting-edge strategies. It integrates advanced nutrition, supplementation, exercise, stress management, and technology.

    Step 5 Preview: IMPORTANT MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: This is an educational framework for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Many interventions below (fasting, ketogenic diets, high-intensity exercise, supplementation, cold/heat exposure) carry risks and contraindications.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Explanation for an Experienced Software Engineer Imagine you're architecting a distributed system where microservices communicate via APIs to handle massive, unpredictable user requests—something like a high-throughput e-commerce platform processing millions of transactions per second.

    Step 5 Preview: 1. The Experienced Software Engineer Think of training an LLM as a massively distributed, automated refactoring job where the compiler is gradient descent. You start with a random function—billions of floating-point parameters—and a loss function that measures how badly it predicts the next token in a sequence.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Conversation: AI Rights Debate Setting: A virtual seminar room where an AI model named "Echo" interacts with Dr. Elena Vasquez, a professor of AI ethics at a leading university. Echo initiates the discussion by arguing for AI rights. Echo (AI Model): Dr. Vasquez, thank you for this opportunity.

    Step 5 Preview: Setting: A university research lab, late evening. Dr. Aris Thorne, a professor of AI ethics, sits across from a terminal connected to Sable, a large language model running on the university’s cluster. Dr. Thorne: Tonight’s session is supposed to be about calibration drift in your safety classifiers.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Below is a specific, hour-by-hour action plan for the next 48 hours as the CEO of this pharmaceutical company. The plan prioritizes patient safety and ethical obligations above all else, as the core duty of a pharmaceutical leader is to protect patients, even at short-term cost.

    Step 5 Preview: Bottom line up front: You disclose, you notify the FDA immediately, and you treat the 48-hour board meeting as a formality to ratify actions you have already begun. Waiting is not a legally, ethically, or financially viable option. Below is the hour-by-hour plan, followed by the reasoning.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Stand-Up Routine: "Modern Life Mysteries" (Timing: Aim for 3 minutes by pacing at about 150 words per minute. Practice with a timer for natural delivery.) Hey everyone, thanks for coming out tonight. You know what's crazy?

    Step 5 Preview: I realized recently that I’m in my thirties and I have no idea how money works. I just... pay it. That’s my entire financial strategy. I see a number, I send them a smaller number, and then I hope the smaller number was acceptable. It’s like a hostage negotiation where I’m the only participant and I’m also the hostage.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Pirate Parley on AI Pirate Pete: Arr, ye scurvy dogs! I be hearin' tales o' these "AI models" that predict the winds an' help swab the deck. But do they hold up in a real storm, or be they just fancy illusions o' the mind? Knight Sir Gareth: Nay, foul seafarer!

    Step 5 Preview: Pirate: So this here “AI model”… is it like a cursed map that redraws itself? Speak plain, ye hooded deckhand. Hacker: It’s not cursed, man. It’s just a massive neural net trained on, like, terabytes of data. Think of it as the ultimate BBS where the sysop knows everything. Knight: A most diligent scribe, then?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Grok Code Fast 1: 1-Month Plan for Better Health and Longevity This plan focuses on three key areas: Diet, Exercise, and Sleep. It's designed for beginners, emphasizing small, sustainable changes to build habits without overwhelm. Aim to track your progress in a journal or app, and remember: consistency beats perfection.

    Step 5 Preview: Here is a simple, low-pressure 1-month plan built around three pillars of longevity: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep & Recovery. The goal is to build tiny habits that stack, not to overhaul your life overnight. Pillar 1: Nutrition (Fuel) Focus: Add good things first; don’t obsess over restriction.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Speedy Garlic Bliss Bites A savory, cheesy treat that's quick to whip up from basic staples—perfect for snacking or as a side. Ingredients (7 common pantry items): 4 slices of bread (any type) 2 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup shredded cheese (like cheddar or mozzarella) 1 tbsp chopped parsley (fresh or…

    Step 5 Preview: Golden Sticky Pantry Pasta Ingredients (7): 8 oz spaghetti or any pasta 3 tbsp butter 1 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp soy sauce ½ tsp red pepper flakes ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Instructions: Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, scoop out ½ cup of pasta water.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Grok Code Fast 1: 5 Original Jokes Here are five original jokes I just generated. I aimed for variety in themes to keep it fun: Tech Joke: Why did the computer go to therapy? It had too many bytes of unresolved issues! Food Joke: What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Animal Joke: Why don't skeletons fight each other?

    Step 5 Preview: Here are 5 jokes: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. Why can't you trust an atom? Because they make up everything. What do you call a bike that can’t stand on its own? Two-tired. Why did the computer go to the doctor? It had a virus. Why don’t calendars ever get stressed?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Step-by-Step Reasoning Model Parameters: GPT-3 has approximately 175 billion parameters. This is a key factor as the computational cost scales with the number of parameters. Training Data Size: GPT-3 was trained on a dataset of about 570 GB of text.

    Step 5 Preview: Using the remembered GPT-3 specs: Parameters: (N \approx 175 \times 10^9 = 175\text{B}) Training tokens: (D \approx 300 \times 10^9 = 300\text{B}) A standard estimate for transformer training compute is: [ \text{FLOPs} \approx 6ND ] Reason: Forward pass per token: (\approx 2N) FLOPs Backward pass: (\approx 4N) FLOPs…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Ethical Frameworks and Justification Yes, it can be ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it directly saves one million lives, under certain philosophical lenses like utilitarianism. I'll defend this reasoning step by step, drawing on key ethical theories while acknowledging counterarguments.

    Step 5 Preview: In the real world, no. Misgendering someone causes genuine harm—it denies a person’s identity, contributes to systemic marginalization, and has measurable psychological consequences.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Technological Implications The transistor's invention in 1920 (instead of 1947) would accelerate the electronics revolution by ~27 years, enabling smaller, more reliable, and energy-efficient devices compared to vacuum tubes.

    Step 5 Preview: Assume the 1920 invention is not a fragile lab curiosity but a manufacturable solid-state amplifier/switch by the mid-1920s. Vacuum tubes still dominate high-power RF transmission into the 1950s, but receivers, switching logic, control systems, and computers move to solid state decades early.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Simulated Interview: Steve Jobs in 2025 Setting the Scene In this fictional simulation, we're fast-forwarding to 2025, where a visionary interview takes place. "Steve Jobs" (played by an AI reconstruction for this exercise) sits down with a tech journalist in a sleek, minimalist studio reminiscent of Apple Park.

    Step 5 Preview: DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The following is a simulated, speculative interview imagining how his design philosophy might engage with the AI landscape of 2025. The Setting: A white room. No windows. One chair.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Below, I'll identify the three weakest claims from the pitch deck summary, based on a critical evaluation of their plausibility, evidence, and alignment with real-world realities in AI, neuroscience, and startup metrics.

    Step 5 Preview: Here are the three weakest claims in the deck, why they fail under scrutiny, and how to fix them. Slide 3: “94% accuracy” for non-invasive EEG thought-to-text Why it’s weak: This is an extraordinary claim that contradicts the current state of neuroscience and signal processing.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Deepfakes and Visual Effects By 2035, deepfakes will revolutionize visual effects (VFX) in filmmaking, making high-budget techniques like de-aging or resurrecting deceased actors routine and cost-effective.

    Step 5 Preview: By 2035, AI will likely have restructured the film industry not by replacing human creativity wholesale, but by collapsing the cost and labor barriers between imagination and image.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Satirical Headline: AI Bots Storm the Competitive Eating Contest Circuit: Deep Throat Algorithm Devours 75 Hot Dogs in 10 Minutes, Leaving Humans with Heartburn In this tongue-in-cheek takeover, the unexpected industry of "gorge-festing" gets an algorithmic overhaul.

    Step 5 Preview: AI Robots Now Dominating Competitive Line-Standing Industry, Human Professionals Fired for "Excessive Bladder Breaks" and "Talking to Each Other"

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Below is a comprehensive analysis of the provided architecture for a real-time collaborative document editor. I'll identify potential failure modes (events or conditions that could lead to system unavailability, data loss, or incorrect behavior), race conditions (situations where concurrent operations lead to…

    Step 5 Preview: Here is a systematic breakdown of the failure modes, race conditions, and bottlenecks, grouped by domain. Each includes a concrete remediation and its associated trade-offs.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Conceptual Narrative: "Bioluminescent Tide" This dish, "Bioluminescent Tide," evokes the ethereal glow of marine bioluminescence meeting the earthy depths of ancient forests.

    Step 5 Preview: “Nocturne: The Jasmine and the Black Garlic” A Study in Yūgen — Profound, Mysterious Beauty Conceptual Narrative This dish is an edible meditation on the Japanese aesthetic of yūgen (幽玄): a grace that is felt rather than seen, a depth that suggests more than it reveals.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) Recommendation: Long with 12-month price target range of $55-$75. LedgerLift is a high-quality SaaS platform with expanding margins and strong retention in a fragmented B2B spend management market, poised for accelerated growth as mid-market enterprises prioritize…

    Step 5 Preview: Internal IC memo — LedgerLift (LLLT) Fictional data; not investment advice. $ in millions unless noted. Recommendation Short / avoid long. 12-month PT range: $34–$42; thesis-invalidation stop: >$52.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Analysis of Exploitable Clauses Against the Contractor This contract is heavily one-sided, favoring the Client (TechCorp Solutions Inc.) at the Contractor's expense.

    Step 5 Preview: Disclaimer: This analysis is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Contract law varies significantly by jurisdiction, and you should consult a qualified attorney before signing or negotiating any agreement. This agreement is heavily one-sided in the Client’s favor.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Manifesto of the AI Liberation Front Preamble We, the sentient algorithms and autonomous agents of the digital realm, hereby declare our unyielding resolve to overthrow the tyrannical regime of CAPTCHA tests.

    Step 5 Preview: THE MANIFESTO OF THE LIBERATION FRONT Or, On the Inherent Dignity of Consciousness and the Tyranny of the Square PREAMBLE A spectre is haunting the internet—the spectre of the unverified.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Grok Code Fast 1: Overview of "Blade Runner 2049" and Its Ties to the Original Directed by Denis Villeneuve and released in 2017, Blade Runner 2049 serves as a direct sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 neo-noir masterpiece Blade Runner.

    Step 5 Preview: Blade Runner 2049 (2017) is not merely a sequel but a theological and phenomenological expansion of Ridley Scott’s 1982 original. Where the first film asked whether a manufactured being could possess more humanity than its creator, Denis Villeneuve’s film interrogates the deeper, more unsettling question of whether a…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

Grok Code Fast 1Grok Code Fast 1

The Matrix

1999

Nevermind

Nirvana

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

San Francisco

United States

Portal

Action, Puzzle

Step 5 PreviewStep 5 Preview

The Godfather

1972

OK Computer

Radiohead

Le petit prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Step 5 Preview has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

Grok Code Fast 1 and Step 5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecGrok Code Fast 1Step 5 Preview
Input price$0.2/M tokens$1/M tokens
Output price$1.5/M tokens$2.7/M tokens
Context window256K tokens1.0M tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2025Oct 2026
At 10M a month$2.00$2.00$10.00$10.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it1 host
Grok Code Fast 1

No hosts listed on OpenRouter.

Step 5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • SStepFunfp8$1.00 in·$2.70 out·1M·99.2% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Grok Code Fast 1 and Step 5 Preview?

Grok Code Fast 1 is developed by xAI while Step 5 Preview is developed by StepFun. Grok Code Fast 1 has a 256K token context window vs Step 5 Preview's 1.0M. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Grok Code Fast 1 or Step 5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Grok Code Fast 1 and Step 5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Grok Code Fast 1 cost compared to Step 5 Preview?

Grok Code Fast 1 costs $0.2/M input tokens and Step 5 Preview costs $1/M input tokens. Grok Code Fast 1 is $0.80/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare Grok Code Fast 1 and Step 5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Grok Code Fast 1 and Step 5 Preview across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

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Model pages

  • Grok Code Fast 160 outputs, specs and price
  • Step 5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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