Kimi K2.7 Code vs Step 5 Preview
Step 5 Preview leads Kimi K2.7 Code on coding, 61.1 to 53.4 on the Vibe Coding Index, and Step 5 Preview costs 1.5x less per output token ($2.70 vs $4.00 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 10 benchmarks have a result for both.
Kimi K2.7 Code or Step 5 Preview: which to pick
Pick Step 5 Preview for coding: it scores 61.1 on the Vibe Coding Index against 53.4 for Kimi K2.7 Code.
Kimi K2.7 Code is neither cheaper nor larger in context, and leads no benchmark both models were measured on.
- Shared results
- 10
- Kimi K2.7 Code only
- 41
- Step 5 Preview only
- 51
- Like-for-like categories
- 4 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
Step 5 Preview
Step 5 Preview scores 61.1 against 53.4.
4 benchmarks behind each score
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Step 5 Preview
Step 5 Preview leads, 43.7 against 25.8.
Same board, both measured
Agentic work
AA Agentic Index
No call
Only Kimi K2.7 Code has a AA Agentic Index result, 21.0.
Directional only
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Kimi K2.7 Code has a Design Arena: websites result, 1263.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Step 5 Preview
Step 5 Preview takes 1.05M tokens against 262K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Step 5 Preview
Kimi K2.7 Code $0.0029, Step 5 Preview $0.0024 per turn.
List prices
Cost per solved task
One SWE-bench Verified task, solved
No call
Only Kimi K2.7 Code has the number, $0.35.
Directional only
At a glance
- Coding index
- Kimi K2.7 Code 53.4 from 4 benchmarks, Step 5 Preview 61.1 from 4 benchmarks.
- Widest category
- Intelligence, 17.9 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI): Kimi K2.7 Code 47.2% against Step 5 Preview 70.4%, 23.2 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Kimi K2.7 Code $4.00 against Step 5 Preview $2.70 per million output tokens, 1.5x apart.
- Context window
- Kimi K2.7 Code takes 262K tokens, Step 5 Preview 1.05M.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Kimi K2.7 Code | Bars | Step 5 Preview | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 7 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 1 | ||
| General | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 10 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index07
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench coding | Not measured | 85.6% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena WebDev | 1474 | 1567 | Step 5 Preview |
| AA Coding Index | 60.8 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LiveCodeBench (Vals AI) | 82.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| SWE-bench Verified (Vals AI) | 78.2% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Terminal-Bench 4 (Vals AI) | Not measured | 31.8% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Vibe Code Bench (Vals AI) | 47.2% | 70.4% | Step 5 Preview |
| Code migration (Vals AI) | 25.4% | 39.0% | Step 5 Preview |
| ProgramBench (Vals AI) | 0.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| IOI (Vals AI) | Not measured | 38.1% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Terminal-Bench 2.1 (Vals AI) | 67.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| SWE-bench Multimodal (Vals AI) | Not measured | 40.8% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| SkillsBench (Vals AI) | 50.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| SciCode | 47.8% | 58.9% | Step 5 Preview |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 44.7% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| FrontierCode | 30.1% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| WeirdML | 54.1% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| ALE-Bench | 886.2 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | Not measured | 1485 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | Not measured | 1473 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena WebDev: React | 1475 | 1583 | Step 5 Preview |
| LMArena WebDev: HTML | 1451 | 1556 | Step 5 Preview |
| LMArena WebDev: from an image | 1513 | 1550 | Step 5 Preview |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 25.8 | 43.7 | Step 5 Preview |
| Epoch Capabilities Index | 150.1 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index23 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Agentic Index | 21.0 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building web apps | 1176 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building full-stack apps | 1175 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building mobile apps | 1143 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building Android apps | 1138 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building Godot games | 1147 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: agents building games | 1130 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: HTML slides | 1151 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: PowerPoint slides | 1129 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LiveBench research | Not measured | 72.8% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LiveBench browser | Not measured | 24.0% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LiveBench long agentic | Not measured | 27.5% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| SREBench (Vals AI) | Not measured | 0.4% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Finance Agent (Vals AI) | Not measured | 50.7% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Tax Agent Bench (Vals AI) | Not measured | 27.3% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Legal Research Bench (Vals AI) | Not measured | 40.4% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Excel Modeling Benchmark (Vals AI) | Not measured | 57.1% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| BioMysteryBench (Vals AI) | Not measured | 67.4% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Terminal-Bench-Science (Vals AI) | Not measured | 2.9% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Vals Science Index | Not measured | 29.6% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 90.1% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| APEX-Agents | 37.6% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Vending-Bench 2 | $5,083 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 18 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench reasoning | Not measured | 83.8% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| MysteryMechanism (Vals AI) | Not measured | 18.5% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 89.6% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 35.0% | 46.5% | Step 5 Preview |
| GPQA Diamond (Epoch AI run) | 87.9% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| SimpleBench | 57.9% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Chess puzzles | 14.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | Not measured | 1461 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: expert | Not measured | 1485 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | Not measured | 1454 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Vision: diagrams | Not measured | 1308 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Vision: homework | Not measured | 1265 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 10 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index6 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTIS Mock AIME | 95.6% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| FrontierMath, tiers 1 to 3 | 54.0% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| FrontierMath, tier 4 | 12.2% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| ProofBench | Not measured | 42.0% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: math | Not measured | 1458 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | Not measured | 1460 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 7 boards here | |||
KnowledgeDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index5 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleQA Verified | 36.5% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LMArena Text: science | Not measured | 1454 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | Not measured | 1439 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | Not measured | 1437 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | Not measured | 1435 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 13 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index9 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1263 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | 1255 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 1220 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: data viz | 1227 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: 3D | 1240 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1252 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: SVG | 1176 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Design Arena: ASCII art | 1196 | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LiveBench design | Not measured | 76.9% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
GeneralLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveBench data analysis | Not measured | 63.5% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Public Benefits Bench (Vals AI) | Not measured | 58.1% | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| IFBench | 63.1% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 79.3% | 88.3% | Step 5 Preview |
| Surface Evolver Bench | 48.8% | Not measured | Only Kimi K2.7 Code measured |
| LMArena Text | Not measured | 1440 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | Not measured | 1438 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | Not measured | 1409 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Vision | Not measured | 1265 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: English | Not measured | 1447 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: non-English | Not measured | 1428 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | Not measured | 1500 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | Not measured | 1383 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: French | Not measured | 1438 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | Not measured | 1441 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | Not measured | 1433 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | Not measured | 1437 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | Not measured | 1449 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | Not measured | 1425 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | Not measured | 1412 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Vision: English | Not measured | 1290 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| LMArena Vision: reading text | Not measured | 1282 | Only Step 5 Preview measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 24 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Kimi K2.7 Code | Step 5 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Step 5 Preview costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Step 5 Preview costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Step 5 Preview costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | MoonshotAI Kimi K2.7 Code | StepFun Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Moonshot AI | StepFun |
| Weights | Open weights | Open weights |
| Released | June 12, 2026 | October 8, 2026 |
| Context window | 262K | 1.05M |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.95 | $1.00 |
| Output $/Mtok | $4.00 | $2.70 |
| Coding index | 53.4 | 61.1 |
| Independent measurements behind it | 4 | 4 |
| Cost per solved task | $0.35 | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Kimi K2.7 Code better than Step 5 Preview for coding?
Pick Step 5 Preview for coding: it scores 61.1 on the Vibe Coding Index against 53.4 for Kimi K2.7 Code. Kimi K2.7 Code is neither cheaper nor larger in context, and leads no benchmark both models were measured on.
Which is cheaper, Kimi K2.7 Code or Step 5 Preview?
Kimi K2.7 Code costs $0.95 per million input tokens and $4.00 per million output tokens; Step 5 Preview costs $1.00 and $2.70. Cost per solved task is known for Kimi K2.7 Code only.
Which has the bigger context window, Kimi K2.7 Code or Step 5 Preview?
Step 5 Preview, with 1.05M tokens against 262K.
How many benchmarks is the Kimi K2.7 Code vs Step 5 Preview comparison based on?
10 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Kimi K2.7 Code's coding index rests on 4 independent benchmarks and Step 5 Preview's on 4. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.