Head to head · LLM inference · October 2026 research run

Antseed vs StepFun API

Antseed scores 55.1 (C) on agent readiness against StepFun API's 44.4 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. StepFun API leads on agent ergonomics. Both do llm inference.

Best model APIs and inference for AI agents · All 153 models comparisons

Which one, for what

Antseed C

Best for Agents and coding tools that want pay-per-request inference with no account, and owners comfortable holding USDC on Base.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 62 against 28
  • Payments & pricing, 70 against 20
  • Maintenance & community, 79 against 50

Also in its favour

  • No key needed to call it
  • Free to start without a card
  • Open source

Watch for

The buyer proxy copies a client's Authorization and x-api-key headers to the seller. The repository's March 2026 review flagged it and issue #1104 is open

StepFun API E

Best for Long-context agent and coding work over text, screenshots and video at a low per-token price, where a preview model is acceptable.

Ahead on

  • Agent ergonomics, 68 against 56

Also in its favour

  • A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
  • No incidents deducted, where Antseed loses 4 points for them

Watch for

Step 5 Preview is labelled a preview, and no release date or support commitment was found

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runAntseedStepFun APIEdge
Reliability16%206228Antseed +34
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.25553Antseed +2
Agent ergonomics13%16.25668StepFun API +12
Security & auth14%17.54541Antseed +4
Payments & pricing10%12.57020Antseed +50
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87950Antseed +29
Transparency & trust7%8.85958Antseed +1
Negative events≤15-40
TotalC 55.1/100E 44.4/100

Facts side by side

FactAntseedStepFun API
KindModel routerModel API
VendorAntseed FoundationStepFun
Hosted endpointno (local only)https://api.stepfun.ai/v1
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthNoneAPI key
PricingPay per usePay per use
x402nono
LicenceGPL-3.0 (LICENSE in the repository). The @antseed/cli manifest on npm carries no licence fieldClosed service under the StepFun Open Platform Terms of Service (STEPFUN TECHNOLOGY (HK) LIMITED, Hong Kong law).
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-10-08none
Terms last updated2026-05-15
Privacy policy last updatedno document linked
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the text
Popularity106 stars, 1.8k npm/wknone

Verdicts

Antseed

A buyer needs no account. The CLI creates a wallet key, free models answer at once and paid ones draw on deposited USDC, with seller, tokens and cost returned in response headers. Sellers are unvetted and can read prompts unless TEE-verified, the proxy forwards a client's own credential headers to them, and every package is pre-1.0.

StepFun API

StepFun's API serves Step 5 Preview with a 1M-token context, video input, strict JSON Schema output and published per-token prices, documented in Markdown with an llms.txt. The model is a preview with no release date found, there's no free allowance or SLA, and the terms and privacy policy leave room to train on customer data.

Before you call either

Antseed

  1. Send a placeholder key such as antseed-p2p. The proxy forwards whatever Authorization or x-api-key header the client sends to the seller
  2. Call GET /v1/models first and request a concrete id. The antseed alias works only when the desktop app has a model selected
  3. Handle 402 insufficient_deposits by reading suggestedAmount, then fund the address from antseed buyer deposit with USDC on Base
  4. Pass --verifiers antseed-verifier --require-verifier to antseed buyer start when prompts are private, so only TEE-verified sellers are routed
  5. Read x-antseed-peer-id and x-antseed-estimated-cost-usd on each response, and pin a seller with <peerId>@<model> when the same one must answer

StepFun API

  1. Set max_tokens yourself. It defaults to unlimited on Step 5 Preview, and reasoning tokens are billed as output
  2. Use response_format with type: json_schema and strict: true when the shape matters. JSON Mode alone isn't schema-checked
  3. Back off and retry on 429, 500, 503 and 504. The docs give no Retry-After header or backoff schedule
  4. Expect HTTP 451 or finish_reason: content_filter when content fails StepFun's review, and don't retry the same input
  5. Use api.stepfun.ai for the international platform. api.stepfun.com is the China platform with yuan pricing

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Antseed or StepFun API?

Antseed scores 55.1 (C) on agent readiness against StepFun API's 44.4 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. StepFun API leads on agent ergonomics.

Do Antseed and StepFun API need an API key?

Antseed needs no key. StepFun API needs an API key.

Can an agent call Antseed and StepFun API without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Antseed. StepFun API has a hosted endpoint at https://api.stepfun.ai/v1.

Are Antseed and StepFun API open source?

Antseed is open source (GPL-3.0 (LICENSE in the repository). The @antseed/cli manifest on npm carries no licence field). No open-source release is listed for StepFun API.

Other comparisons with Antseed or StepFun API

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