Amazon Nova 2 Pro vs Step 5 Preview
Amazon · US | StepFun · China · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort or deep aws bedrock integration for teams already building on aws. Pick Step 5 Preview for sparse moe architecture — 600b total parameters, only 27b active per token — built for long-horizon agentic work across large codebases and documents or 1m-token context window (64k max output) at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, among the cheapest frontier-scale context windows available. On a tight budget at scale, Step 5 Preview is the value pick.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro (Amazon, US) and Step 5 Preview (StepFun, China) line up two different AI ecosystems against each other — a comparison that is as much about cost philosophy and openness as raw capability. Amazon Nova 2 Pro is amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Step 5 Preview is stepFun's September 20, 2026 flagship preview — a 600B-parameter sparse MoE model (27B active) with a 1M-token context window at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, open weights promised for mid-October. Their biggest split is price, and the breakdown below shows exactly how that plays out for your workload.
Key differences at a glance
- ▸Price: Step 5 Preview is about 2.2× cheaper on input ($1/$2.7 per 1M tokens vs $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens) — meaningful once you are processing millions of tokens a month.
- ▸Context window: both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Tie on paper — test on your own long inputs, since usable recall varies by model.
- ▸Recency: Step 5 Preview is the newer model by about 10 months (released September 20, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
- ▸Ecosystem: this is a US-vs-China matchup — they differ in pricing philosophy, data-residency options, and tooling ecosystems, not only benchmarks.
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Amazon Nova 2 Pro | Step 5 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Amazon (US) | StepFun (China) |
| Released | December 2, 2025 | September 20, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M (~1,500 pages) | 1M tokens (~1,500 pages) |
| Price (in/out) | $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens | $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens |
| Open weight? | No — API only | No — API only |
| Modalities | text, image | text, image, code |
| SWE-Bench Verified | Not published | Not published |
| MRCR v2 @ 1M | Not published | Not published |
Who wins what
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Step 5 Preview is comparatively weak here — a 'Preview' release, not StepFun's finished flagship — positioning and pricing may change once weights ship
Deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Amazon Nova 2 Pro lists deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS among its strengths; Step 5 Preview does not.
A companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Step 5 Preview is comparatively weak here — trails closed frontier models on coding — 67.7% on DeepSWE v1.1 vs GPT-6 Astra's 74.1% and Claude Opus 5's 74.0%
Sparse MoE architecture — 600B total parameters, only 27B active per token — built for long-horizon agentic work across large codebases and documents
Step 5 Preview
StepFun's September 20, 2026 flagship preview — a 600B-parameter sparse MoE model (27B active) with a 1M-token context window at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, open weights promised for mid-October — and it runs cheaper at $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens.
1M-token context window (64K max output) at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, among the cheapest frontier-scale context windows available
Step 5 Preview
At $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro ($2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
67.7% on DeepSWE v1.1, ahead of open-weight rivals Kimi K3 (67.5%) and GLM-5.3 (66.9%)
Step 5 Preview
StepFun's September 20, 2026 flagship preview — a 600B-parameter sparse MoE model (27B active) with a 1M-token context window at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, open weights promised for mid-October — and it is the newer of the two.
Lowest cost at scale
Step 5 Preview
At $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Step 5 Preview
At $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Anyone whose priority is amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort
→ Amazon Nova 2 Pro
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is sparse moe architecture — 600b total parameters, only 27b active per token — built for long-horizon agentic work across large codebases and documents
→ Step 5 Preview
That is its strongest area.
An enterprise with regional data-residency rules
→ Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Step 5 Preview
Origin (US vs China) affects where data is processed and which compliance regime applies — check the provider's terms for your region.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro: where it fits
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Released December 2, 2025 by Amazon, it is built for amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS, a companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family, and replaces the original Nova Premier, which AWS is retiring in September 2026.
Its trade-offs are real: pricing shown reflects preview-tier rates and may change at general availability, amazon's Nova line has historically scored below independent-intelligence leaders like Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and a newer release with less real-world production track record than established flagships. At $2.19 in / $17.5 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
Step 5 Preview: where it fits
StepFun's September 20, 2026 flagship preview — a 600B-parameter sparse MoE model (27B active) with a 1M-token context window at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, open weights promised for mid-October. Released September 20, 2026 by StepFun, it is built for sparse MoE architecture — 600B total parameters, only 27B active per token — built for long-horizon agentic work across large codebases and documents, 1M-token context window (64K max output) at $1/$2.70 per million tokens, among the cheapest frontier-scale context windows available, 67.7% on DeepSWE v1.1, ahead of open-weight rivals Kimi K3 (67.5%) and GLM-5.3 (66.9%), and scores 44 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, ranking 27th of 653 models tracked.
Its trade-offs: trails closed frontier models on coding — 67.7% on DeepSWE v1.1 vs GPT-6 Astra's 74.1% and Claude Opus 5's 74.0%, open weights were promised for October 15, 2026 but hadn't shipped as of this writing — API-only for now despite the open-weight roadmap, a 'Preview' release, not StepFun's finished flagship — positioning and pricing may change once weights ship, and stepCodeBench and DeepSWE figures are StepFun's own reported numbers, not yet independently reproduced at scale. At $1 in / $2.7 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
This is less "which is smarter" and more "which ecosystem fits." Amazon Nova 2 Pro (US) and Step 5 Preview (China) differ on pricing philosophy, data-residency, and tooling as much as on raw scores. Step 5 Preview is the cheaper option, which matters at volume. The pragmatic move is to run one real task through both and judge the outputs against your own constraints — including where your data is allowed to be processed.
Want both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Step 5 Preview without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
Is Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Step 5 Preview better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Amazon Nova 2 Pro leans toward amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort while Step 5 Preview leans toward sparse moe architecture — 600b total parameters, only 27b active per token — built for long-horizon agentic work across large codebases and documents, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Step 5 Preview?
Step 5 Preview is cheaper — $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens vs $1/$2.7 per 1M tokens, roughly 2.2× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Both advertise 1M (~1,500 pages). Remember advertised ≠ usable: recall typically degrades before the ceiling.
Can I use both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Step 5 Preview together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Amazon Nova 2 Pro, Step 5 Preview and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Step 5 Preview?
Step 5 Preview — released September 20, 2026, about 10 months after Amazon Nova 2 Pro.
Related comparisons
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.