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MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash vs stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview

Try both on us. Starter credit covers your first requests, then one key routes MiniMax M3.1 Flash and stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview. Switch by changing the model name.

Compare routesProviders, price, context, and policy posture in one view.

Use auto when uptime mattersKeep a primary model and let fallback handle provider failures.

Same API shapeUse the OpenAI client and set the model you want.

Practical read

Monthly evidence

MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash has the lower published input-plus-output rate, more Credits provider routes and the lower measured p50 time to first token. Their context windows are the same size.

$0.79125/1MMiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash cheapest route

$3.9035/1Mstepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview cheapest route

1423 msMiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash fastest measured p50 TTFT via minimax

2239 msstepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview fastest measured p50 TTFT via nvidia-nim

The price comparison adds each route's rate for one million input tokens and one million output tokens; your cost depends on your input/output mix. Prices and live route measurements can change. Use the monthly reports when you need a stable evidence window, then run a small task-specific eval before choosing a production default.

MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flashstepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview

Model idminimax/minimax-m3.1-flashstepfun-ai/step-5-preview

Publisher MiniMax StepFun

AI IQ IQ 120#49 —

Context1,048,576 tokens1,048,576 tokens

Credits provider routes123

Cheapest route$0.79125/1M$3.9035/1M

Cached input$0.01266/1M to $0.019782/1M$0.05275/1M

Privacy posturehas ZDR routehas ZDR route

Fastest measured p50 TTFT1423 ms via minimax2239 ms via nvidia-nim

Highest measured throughputnot enough datanot enough data

Recent route uptime range0.00% to 100.00%33.33% to 100.00%

Modes chat chat

MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash routes

Overview12 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
ProvidersAll serving providers

stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview routes

Overview3 Credits routes
PricingInput, cached input, and output rates
ProvidersAll serving providers

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Production choice

Pick a default model. Keep fallback enabled.

TrustedRouter is useful when you know the model you want, but still need provider rollover, budget limits, usage records, and a prompt path you can verify.

OpenAI clientPython

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.trustedrouter.com/v1",
    api_key="sk-tr-v1-..."
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="minimax/minimax-m3.1-flash",
    messages=messages,
)

Questions

Which should I use, MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash or stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview?

MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash has the lower published input-plus-output rate, more Credits provider routes and the lower measured p50 time to first token. Their context windows are the same size.

Is MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash or stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview cheaper?

The current cheapest TrustedRouter route is $0.79125/1M for MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash and $3.9035/1M for stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview. The comparison uses current catalog prices and updates as provider pricing changes.

Is MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash or stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview faster?

Current measured p50 time to first token is 1423 ms for MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash and 2239 ms for stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview. These are routed probe measurements, not vendor-advertised speeds, and update as new samples arrive.

Can I test MiniMax: MiniMax M3.1 Flash and stepfun-ai/Step-5-Preview with the same API?

Yes. Use the same OpenAI-compatible TrustedRouter base URL and API key, then change only the model id between minimax/minimax-m3.1-flash and stepfun-ai/step-5-preview. This makes side-by-side evals possible without maintaining two provider integrations.