• Updated 31 Oct, 14:35 UTC
  • Next run 1 Nov, 05:17 UTCNext 1 Nov 05:17
  • Last 7 days: 4 new models · 448 runs7 d: 4 models · 448 runs
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Particle-1 vs Step 5 Preview

6 prompts both ran·Specs and numbers·Change models

Particle-1 took 7 min 13 s and $0.056 at list price, Step 5 Preview took 10 min 44 s and $0.33 at list price. Step 5 Preview took 1.5× as long and cost 5.8× as much.

Particle-1

Particle AI · $0.50/M out · 17 HN pts

Step 5 Preview

StepFun · $2.70/M out · 155 HN pts

Pelican

Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle

Particle-1's SVG for the "Pelican riding a bicycle" prompt

Particle-1

19 s$0.00612k tokensAPI
Step 5 Preview's SVG for the "Pelican riding a bicycle" prompt

Step 5 Preview

32 s$0.0196.9k tokensAPI

Watch

Draw a mechanical wristwatch that shows the current local time, with a sweeping seconds hand and a date window. Make it look expensive.

Still of Particle-1's page for the "Wristwatch that shows the current time" prompt

Particle-1

2 min$0.01021k tokensAPI
Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Wristwatch that shows the current time" prompt

Step 5 Preview

22 s$0.0134.9k tokensAPI

Landing

Build the landing page for Lumen Cycles, a Copenhagen workshop that builds custom cargo bikes to order. Make it look like a real brand you would trust with 4,000 euros.

Still of Particle-1's page for the "Landing page for a cargo bike workshop" prompt

Particle-1

2 min 19 s$0.01733k tokensAPI
Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Landing page for a cargo bike workshop" prompt

Step 5 Preview

4 min 7 s$0.1453k tokensAPI

Breakout

Make a Breakout game I can play right now with the keyboard or the mouse. Give it several levels, a score and some juice.

Still of Particle-1's page for the "Playable Breakout" prompt

Particle-1

2 min 10 s$0.01531k tokensAPI
Still of Step 5 Preview's page for the "Playable Breakout" prompt

Step 5 Preview

1 min 55 s$0.06825k tokensAPI

Design a logo for Night Heron, an independent bookshop that only opens after dark.

Particle-1's SVG for the "Bookshop logo" prompt

Particle-1

23 s$0.00815k tokensAPI
Step 5 Preview's SVG for the "Bookshop logo" prompt

Step 5 Preview

3 min 41 s$0.08431k tokensAPI

About

Write the opening of the About us page for Patchbay, a three-person studio in Rotterdam that repairs vintage synthesizers. About 150 words.

Patchbay is a three-person studio in Rotterdam dedicated to the repair and restoration of vintage synthesizers. We are engineers, musicians, and collectors who believe these instruments are not museum pieces but tools meant to be played, heard, and trusted on stage or in the studio. Our bench has seen everything from stubborn Moogs and fragile ARP boards to polysynths with corroded traces and keyboards that have traveled too many miles. We approach each repair with patience, documentation, and respect for the original design, while making sensible updates only where reliability demands them. Because we are a small team, you work directly with the person handling your instrument, from the first diagnosis to the final calibration. We also advise on maintenance, source hard-to-find parts, and help you decide when a repair is worthwhile. Patchbay exists to keep old synthesizers making new music.

Particle-1

3 s<$0.001866 tokensAPI

Patchbay is a three-person workshop based in Rotterdam, dedicated to keeping vintage synthesizers alive and playable. We are technicians, musicians, and obsessive tinkerers who believe that classic analog instruments deserve better than silence. From temperamental Jupiter-8s to worn-out ARP Odysseys, we restore, repair, and maintain the machines that shaped the sound of modern music. Every repair starts with listening—both to the instrument and to the person who plays it. Whether you are chasing a rare fault, need a full calibration, or simply want your old synth to feel new again, our bench is open. We understand that no two synthesizers arrive with the same story, and we treat each circuit, slider, and key with the care its history deserves. At Patchbay, we are here to make sure the sounds of tomorrow are built on those that came before.

Step 5 Preview

7 s$0.003919 tokensAPI

Specs and numbers

Particle-1Step 5 Preview
MakerParticle AIStepFun
Made in—China
Released28 Oct 20268 Oct 2026
Price in, per M tokens$0.05$1.00
Price out, per M tokens$0.50$2.70
Context1,048,576 tokens1,048,576 tokens
Weightsclosedopen
Hacker News points17155
Time for the six prompts7 min 13 s10 min 44 s
List price of the six prompts$0.056$0.33

Particle-1 was cheaper: $0.27 less at list price, and less on each of the 6 prompts. Particle-1 was faster: 3 min 31 s less in total, and faster on 4 of the 6 prompts.

In the recording, both Breakout games play.

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