DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max vs Step 5 Preview compared

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max leads the intelligence index 32.6 to 28.5. Price per token, response speed and when to pick each.

Metric	DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)	Step 5 Preview
Intelligence Index	32.6	28.5
Input price (per 1M tokens)	$0.30	$1.00
Output price (per 1M tokens)	$1.20	$2.70
Output speed (tokens/s)	162	151
Time to first token	1.2s	0.91s
Release date	2026-10-17	2026-09-18

Metric

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max)

Step 5 Preview

Intelligence Index

32.6

28.5

Input price (per 1M tokens)

$0.30

$1.00

Output price (per 1M tokens)

$1.20

$2.70

Output speed (tokens/s)

162

151

Time to first token

1.2s

0.91s

Release date

2026-10-17

2026-09-18

Here is how DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max), built by DeepSeek, lines up against Step 5 Preview from StepFun. Price separates them more than anything else; on a blended basis Step 5 Preview costs 2.7 times as much as DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max. All numbers are the catalogue's recorded values; nobody ran either model by hand for this page.

Cost: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is cheaper

The list prices are $0.30 in and $1.20 out for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max, and $1.00 in and $2.70 out for Step 5 Preview, per million tokens. That makes DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max's output 56% cheaper.

A reference job of 1 million input tokens and 200,000 output tokens costs $0.54 with DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and $1.54 with Step 5 Preview, so DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max saves $1.00. Scale it up to writing 2,000 drafts of 2,000 output tokens from 300-token prompts and the bill is $4.98 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max against $11.40 for Step 5 Preview.

Generation gap

The release dates are September 18, 2026 for Step 5 Preview and October 17, 2026 for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max, 29 days apart. That is close enough to count them as the same generation.

Speed and latency

Measured output speed is 162 tokens per second for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and 151 tokens per second for Step 5 Preview. There is little to choose between them on raw output speed. The wait for the first token averages 1.2 seconds on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max against 0.91 seconds on Step 5 Preview. In an interactive app, Step 5 Preview will feel noticeably more responsive.

For a 600-token response, first token plus generation comes to roughly 4.9 seconds on DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and 4.9 seconds on Step 5 Preview.

Overall capability: 4.1 points apart

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max records 32.6 on the intelligence index and Step 5 Preview records 28.5. That is a clear margin for an index that averages many evaluations. In relative terms, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max scores 14% higher.

Among 109 active scored models, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max sits 45th and Step 5 Preview 61st.

Neither model has a separate coding or math index recorded yet, so those narrower comparisons will have to wait for more data.

Cost per point of intelligence

Per point of intelligence index, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max costs $0.016 of blended price per million tokens and Step 5 Preview $0.050. With the higher score and the lower cost per point, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is the better value per point on these numbers.

FAQ

Is DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max better than Step 5 Preview?

Not across the board: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max scores higher on the intelligence index, 32.6 to 28.5; DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is 63% cheaper on blended price; and Step 5 Preview reaches its first token sooner.

Are DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and Step 5 Preview from the same company?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is made by DeepSeek and Step 5 Preview by StepFun. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max was released on October 17, 2026 and Step 5 Preview on September 18, 2026.

Which is cheaper, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max or Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is cheaper on a blended basis. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max lists $0.30 per million input tokens and $1.20 per million output tokens; Step 5 Preview lists $1.00 and $2.70. For 1 million input and 200,000 output tokens that is $0.54 against $1.54.

Which is faster, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max or Step 5 Preview?

Their output speeds are close: 162 tokens per second for DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max and 151 tokens per second for Step 5 Preview. Step 5 Preview reaches its first token sooner (0.91 seconds against 1.2 seconds).

Which is newer, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max or Step 5 Preview?

DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max is newer. It was released on October 17, 2026, 29 days after Step 5 Preview (September 18, 2026).

Final whistle

The verdict: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max has more going for it here, but Step 5 Preview is not without an argument. Pick Step 5 Preview if users are waiting on the first word. Pick DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 Max if cost matters ($1.20 against $2.70 per million output tokens) and you need the higher overall score (32.6 against 28.5).

Where the numbers come from

The scores, speed and prices in this comparison come from independent third-party model evaluations that Franklin AI syncs each day, and the article was written from a snapshot of them. For the latest results, open the DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 (Max) and Step 5 Preview pages. The AI Benchmark methodology explains how that data is collected and shown.