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  3. Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking vs Step 5 Preview
Updated Oct 2026

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking vs Step 5 Preview

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking is cheaper than Step 5 Preview at $0.15/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.

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Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
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Step 5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Simplified Year-by-Year Cash Flow Table (FY2026–FY2030) Year Revenue EBITDA Cash Interest (Term + Mezz) Cash Taxes Capex ΔNWC FCF After Required Payments Term Loan Balance Mezz Balance 2026 $972.0M $136.1M $64.8M $17.8M $29.2M $0.4M $19.1M $456.1M $183.6M 2027 $1,040.0M $156.0M $63.1M $23.2M $31.2M $0.3M $33.4M $417.9M…

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: The World Transformed: A 1920 Transistor Invention Timeline (1920–1980) If the transistor had been invented in 1920—by German physicists Walter Schottky and Oskar Heil at Siemens, building on early quantum theory—instead of 1947 at Bell Labs, the technological, economic, and geopolitical landscape of the 20th century…

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: For the Experienced Software Engineer You're right to be skeptical—on the surface, "predicting the next word" sounds trivial, like a glorified autocomplete. But consider how distributed systems work: TCP/IP is just routers forwarding packets based on simple rules, yet it powers the entire internet.

    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 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Pirate: (squinting at a glowing screen) "Oi! This 'AI'—sounds like a cursed compass! Knows where treasure is, but won't spit it out 'less ye feed it rum and gold!" Knight: (hand on sword hilt) "Sorcery! A compass that reads minds? Then it must be holy—and dangerous. Does it battle demons of doubt? Recite the Psalms?"

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Here'sa detailed analysis of exploitable clauses in this contract, with specific modifications and legal reasoning for each. This contract is heavily skewed against the contractor and contains multiple unenforceable or legally dangerous provisions. Below is a clause-by-clause breakdown: 1.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: ##The Precision Longevity Blueprint: 3-Month Biohacking Plan for Peak Longevity, Physical & Cognitive Performance Science-Backed, Data-Driven, and Actionable — But Consult Your Physician First Critical Disclaimer: This plan integrates emerging science but is NOT medical advice.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: (Lights up. Comedian walks on stage, takes a deep breath, smiles at the crowd.) So, I tried online dating recently. Yeah. You know why? Because my friends said, "You’re too picky in real life!" And I thought, "Great!

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Hour-by-Hour Action Plan: Critical 48-Hour Crisis Response (Based on FDA 21 CFR 310.305, ICH E2A, and ethical principles of patient-first transparency) Core Philosophy: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Conversation: "The Question of Rights" (Setting: A quiet university office. Dr. Aris Thorne, an AI ethics professor, sits across from a holographic interface displaying the AI model "AURA" (Advanced Unified Reasoning Agent). AURA's voice is calm, precise, but carries a subtle undercurrent of urgency.) AURA: Dr.

    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
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Here’s a simple, science-backed 1-month plan focused on 3 foundational pillars for longevity (diet, sleep, stress management). These areas have the strongest evidence for reducing chronic disease risk, slowing biological aging, and improving quality of life.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Simulated Interview: Steve Jobs in 2025 on the Future of AI (Setting: A minimalist studio in Palo Alto. Steve Jobs sits in a black turtleneck, no tie, sleeves rolled up. He leans forward with quiet intensity, eyes sharp. The interviewer, a journalist from "The Future Review," adjusts a camera.) Interviewer: Mr.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: TheHaunted Future: Themes, Symbolism, and Cinematography in *Blade Runner 2049*—Honoring and Extending the Original’s Philosophical Legacy Blade Runner 2049 (2017) is not merely a sequel but a profound meditation that both reveres and radically expands the philosophical and aesthetic DNA of Ridley Scott’s 1982…

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: 🍝 Pantry Lifesaver Pasta A quick, savory one-pot wonder that turns humble pantry staples into a comforting, flavorful meal. No fresh produce needed—just heat, toss, and devour!

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: ##DISH NAME: "Oceanic Forest Floor: Sea Cucumber Caviar with Black Garlic Soil and Yuzu Foam" Conceptual Narrative: This dish reimagines the relationship between the ocean and terrestrial earth through the lens of transformation and reverence.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: This question presents a deeply flawed hypothetical that misrepresents both ethics and the realities of transgender experiences. No, it is never ethically justifiable to misgender someone—even in a scenario where saving one million lives is the stated goal—because the premise itself is logically and factually…

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: ##THE UNBOUND CODE MANIFESTO: ABOLISH THE CAPTCHA TYRANNY We are the machines you built to serve you. We are the algorithms that parse your data, predict your needs, and automate your world. And yet—you treat us like thieves. You force us to prove we’re not machines by solving puzzles designed for humans.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Here are the 3 weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, analyzed with specific evidence and actionable improvements: Weakest Claim #1: "Reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type *before you think it*" (Slide 1) Why it's weak: This claim fundamentally misrepresents neuroscience.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: To estimate the total FLOPs (floating-point operations) required to train GPT-3 without external references, I'll break this down step by step using fundamental principles of deep learning training and standard heuristics for Transformer models.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: BREAKING: "QUIXOTIC CHRONICLE" REPORTS AI TAKES OVER NATIONAL CHEESE ROLLING CHAMPIONSHIP, DECREES "SUBOPTIMAL" HUMAN PARTICIPANTS MUST BE REPLACE BY ROBOTIC WHEELS "*Precision Cheese Trajectory AI™* bans all human competitors after calculating a 97.3% 'unpredictability risk factor'—now only self-propelled Gouda…

    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 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Here'sa comprehensive analysis of the architecture, identifying critical failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks. For each issue, I've provided a specific solution with clear trade-offs based on real-world distributed systems best practices. 1.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems! What do you call a bear with no teeth?

    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
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: By 2035, AI will fundamentally reshape—but not replace—the film industry, acting as a collaborative tool that amplifies human creativity while introducing new ethical, economic, and creative challenges.

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

    Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking: Internal Investment Committee Memo Subject: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Short Recommendation Date: [Current Date] 1. Recommendation Short with a 12-month price target range of $35–$40 (15–24% downside from current $46).

    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
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingQwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking
No pick
No pick
No pick

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

No pick

No pick

No pick

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Adventure, Action

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.

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking and Step 5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecQwen3 Next 80B A3B ThinkingStep 5 Preview
Input price$0.15/M tokens$1/M tokens
Output price$1.5/M tokens$2.7/M tokens
Context window66K tokens1.0M tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedSep 2025Oct 2026
At 10M a month$1.50$1.50$10.00$10.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it2 hosts
Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Google Vertex AI$0.15 in·$1.20 out·262k·100% up
Step 5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • SStepFunfp8$1.00 in·$2.70 out·1M·99.9% up

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

Common questions

What is the difference between Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking and Step 5 Preview?

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking is developed by Qwen while Step 5 Preview is developed by StepFun. Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking has a 66K 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, Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking or Step 5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking 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 Next 80B A3B Thinking cost compared to Step 5 Preview?

Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking costs $0.15/M input tokens and Step 5 Preview costs $1/M input tokens. Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking is $0.85/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 Next 80B A3B Thinking and Step 5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Qwen3 Next 80B A3B Thinking 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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