# Phi-4 Mini vs Step 5 Preview

> Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.8 to 30.4 on the Noometry Index. Phi-4 Mini costs 11× less per token, which makes it the better buy when Step 5 Preview's lead doesn't matter for your workload.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/phi-4-mini-vs-step-5-preview
- Last updated: 2026-10-10
- Shared benchmarks: 2

## Summary

- They share 2 benchmarks with published results for both. Phi-4 Mini scores higher in 0 categories and Step 5 Preview in 2 categories; 2 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in coding, where Step 5 Preview leads 50.6 to 27.6.
- The biggest single-benchmark swing is SciCode: 10.8% for Phi-4 Mini and 58.9% for Step 5 Preview.
- Phi-4 Mini is cheaper at $0.075 / $0.30 per million input/output tokens, against $1 / $2.70 for Step 5 Preview.
- Step 5 Preview accepts more context: 1.02M tokens versus 128K.
- Phi-4 Mini has downloadable open weights; the other is API-only.

## Snapshot

| | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Microsoft | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 30.4 | 43.8 |
| Rank | 280 | 78 |
| Context | 128K | 1.02M |
| Input $/M | $0.075 | $1 |
| Output $/M | $0.30 | $2.70 |
| Weights | Open | Proprietary |

## Coding

- Phi-4 Mini: 27.6 (#312)
- Step 5 Preview: 50.6 (#40)

| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| SciCode | 10.8% | 58.9% |
| LMArena WebDev | — | 1569 |

## Reasoning

- Phi-4 Mini: 21.7 (#190)
- Step 5 Preview: 38.0 (#58)

| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| CritPt | 0% | 20.9% |

## Knowledge

- Phi-4 Mini: 24.8 (#261)
- Step 5 Preview: —

| Benchmark | Phi-4 Mini | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Vectara Hallucination Rate | 23.5% | — |

## FAQ

### Is Phi-4 Mini better than Step 5 Preview?

Step 5 Preview is the stronger model overall, scoring 43.8 to 30.4 on the Noometry Index. Phi-4 Mini costs 11× less per token, which makes it the better buy when Step 5 Preview's lead doesn't matter for your workload.

### Which is cheaper, Phi-4 Mini or Step 5 Preview?

Phi-4 Mini is cheaper. It lists at $0.075 per million input tokens and $0.30 per million output tokens; Step 5 Preview lists at $1 and $2.70.

### Is Phi-4 Mini or Step 5 Preview better for coding?

Step 5 Preview scores higher on coding benchmarks: 50.6 versus 27.6 in the Noometry coding category.

### Which has the bigger context window?

Step 5 Preview does, with 1.02M tokens against 128K.

### How many benchmarks do Phi-4 Mini and Step 5 Preview share?

2 benchmarks have published results for both models. Phi-4 Mini has 3 scored results on Noometry and Step 5 Preview has 3.