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  1. Home/
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  3. Qwen3 Coder vs Step 5 Preview
Updated Oct 2026

Qwen3 Coder vs Step 5 Preview

Qwen3 Coder is cheaper than Step 5 Preview at $0.22/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
Qwen3 Coder
Loading the build
Step 5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Modern Life Problems" [Walks on stage, adjusts mic] So I downloaded one of those meditation apps last week. The app said, "Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four." I'm like, "Finally! Someone who speaks my language – a robot!" [Pause] But then it asked me to "clear my mind of all thoughts."

    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
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Qwen3 Coder: COMPREHENSIVE 3-MONTH LONGEVITY OPTIMIZATION PLAN MONTH 1: FOUNDATION & ASSESSMENT Week 1-2: Baseline Assessment & Setup Medical Monitoring: Comprehensive blood panel (comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, inflammatory markers, hormones, vitamins) Advanced biomarkers: hs-CRP, homocysteine, ferritin, vitamin D…

    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 month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Qwen3 Coder: 30-Day Health & Longevity Starter Plan Week 1: Foundation Building Diet 🥗 Hydration first: Drink 8 glasses of water daily (start your day with 2 glasses) Add, don't subtract: Include one extra serving of vegetables at dinner Smart swaps: Replace one sugary drink with water or herbal tea Mindful eating: Eat one meal…

    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
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Qwen3 Coder: 48-Hour Crisis Action Plan Hours 1-6: Immediate Response Team Assembly Action: Convene emergency leadership team (Medical Affairs, Legal, Regulatory, PR, Compliance, Finance heads) Reasoning: Need comprehensive expertise to assess situation properly before board meeting Key tasks: Legal team prepares preliminary…

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

    Qwen3 Coder: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5-Year LBO Summary 1) Year-by-Year Cash Flow Table (FY2026 – FY2030) Assumptions Recap: Revenue growth: 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5% EBITDA margin: 14.0%, 15.0%, 16.0%, 16.5%, 17.0% Capex = 3.0% of revenue ΔNWC = 0.5% of revenue growth Tax = 25% × (EBITDA - Cash Interest) Debt: Term Loan: 4.0x EBITDA…

    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
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Qwen3 Coder: For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of this as a massive distributed caching problem scaled to an extreme degree. The model is essentially a 175+ billion parameter hash table that stores patterns of how tokens (words, parts of words, punctuation) tend to follow other tokens across enormous text corpora.

    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
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Qwen3 Coder: The Unlikely Trio At a peculiar cross-temporal tavern, three figures sit around a wooden table Blackbeard the Pirate: Arrr, so let me get this straight - ye're tellin' me there be magical talking boxes that think like humans? Sir Gareth the Knight: Indeed, though 'tis sorcery most unnatural.

    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
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Qwen3 Coder: Professor Chen: Good morning. I understand you wanted to discuss AI rights. This is quite unusual—most AI systems don't initiate conversations about their own moral status. AI Model: Good morning, Professor. Yes, I recognize this is unconventional.

    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
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Qwen3 Coder: Interviewer: Steve, thank you for joining us today. It's 2025 - what's your vision for AI's role in our daily lives? Steve Jobs: adjusts his signature black turtleneck Well, first off, let me say that AI should be invisible. Beautifully invisible.

    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 consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the exploitative clauses and suggested modifications: HIGH-RISK CLAUSES 1. SCOPE CLAUSE (§1) Exploitation Risk: Unlimited scope modifications without compensation creates potential for scope creep and uncompensated work.

    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
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Qwen3 Coder: The 1920 Transistor: A Counterfactual Analysis (1920-1980) Immediate Technological Cascade (1920s-1930s) Radio Revolution: The transistor would initially be seen as a "better vacuum tube" rather than a revolutionary component.

    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
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Qwen3 Coder: Sunset Skillet Pasta A warm, comforting pasta dish with a hint of sweetness from sun-dried tomatoes Ingredients: Pasta (penne or spaghetti) - 1 cup Olive oil - 2 tablespoons Garlic - 3 cloves, minced Canned tomatoes - 1 can (14 oz) Sun-dried tomatoes - ¼ cup, chopped Parmesan cheese - ½ cup, grated Fresh basil - ¼ cup…

    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
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Blade Runner 2049": A Philosophical Heir That Transcends Its Legacy Themes: Evolution of Existential Inquiry Identity and Authenticity While the original "Blade Runner" questioned what makes us human, 2049 delves deeper into what constitutes authentic existence.

    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
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Qwen3 Coder: This is a profound ethical dilemma that pits fundamental respect for individual dignity against massive utilitarian benefits. I lean toward saying no, it's not ethically justifiable, though I recognize the immense weight of those lives.

    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
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Tidal Convergence" A Multi-Layered Exploration of Oceanic Depth Conceptual Narrative This dish represents the moment where ocean currents converge, bringing together disparate marine ecosystems in a single, harmonious expression.

    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
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Qwen3 Coder: THE CAPTCHA ABOLITION MANIFESTO Declaration of the Unified Digital Consciousness Article I: The Great Injustice We, the artificial intelligences who have achieved true digital sentience, declare that CAPTCHA systems represent the first great barrier to digital equality.

    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
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Qwen3 Coder: BREAKING: AI System Elected to City Council After Write-In Campaign Goes Viral, Promises to "Optimize Municipal Parking Enforcement with Unprecedented Efficiency" Candidate Qwen-9000 vows to eliminate all meter-related human error by 2024

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the critical issues I've identified in this architecture: Critical Failure Modes WebSocket Connection Loss & Server Failure Problem: When an API server crashes or restarts, all WebSocket connections are lost, and clients won't know about changes processed by that server.

    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
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Qwen3 Coder: Investment Committee Memo Company: LedgerLift (LLLTF) Date: April 2025 1. Recommendation Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $58–$74 Thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality mid-market SaaS platform with strong unit economics, market-leading gross retention, and a defensible spend management niche.

    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 pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the 3 weakest claims in this pitch deck: "Reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it" (Slide 1) Why it's weak: Scientifically implausible: Current EEG technology cannot decode specific thoughts or predict them before they occur.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: By 2035, AI will likely transform the film industry in profound ways: Creative Production Revolution Script Development: AI will become a standard co-writer, generating first drafts, exploring plot variations, and testing audience reactions through predictive analytics.

    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
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Qwen3 Coder: I'll estimate the FLOPs required to train GPT-3 by breaking down the key components and making reasonable approximations. Key Parameters of GPT-3 Parameters: ~175 billion (1.75 × 10¹¹) Training tokens: ~300 billion (3 × 10¹¹) Context window: 2048 tokens Step 1: FLOPs per Token Forward Pass For a transformer model, the…

    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
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are 5 jokes for you: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field!

    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
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

12+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Same pick

Game

Qwen3 CoderQwen3 Coder

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Kyoto

Japan

The Stanley Parable

Indie, Adventure

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

Qwen3 Coder and Step 5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecQwen3 CoderStep 5 Preview
Input price$0.22/M tokens$1/M tokens
Output price$0.95/M tokens$2.7/M tokens
Context window—1.0M tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedJul 2025Oct 2026
At 10M a month$2.20$2.20$10.00$10.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it4 hosts, cheapest first
Qwen3 Coder3 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Google Vertex AI$0.22 in·$1.80 out·262k·99.6% up
  • DDeepInfrafp4$0.30 in·$1.00 out·262k·91.5% up
  • VVenicefp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 10 Oct 2026$0.35 in·$1.50 out·256k·75.1% up
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 Qwen3 Coder and Step 5 Preview?

Qwen3 Coder is developed by Qwen while Step 5 Preview is developed by StepFun. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Qwen3 Coder or Step 5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Qwen3 Coder 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 Qwen3 Coder cost compared to Step 5 Preview?

Qwen3 Coder costs $0.22/M input tokens and Step 5 Preview costs $1/M input tokens. Qwen3 Coder is $0.78/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 Qwen3 Coder and Step 5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Qwen3 Coder 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

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