# StepFun API vs Vercel AI Gateway (slim)

> Vercel AI Gateway scores 66.7 (B) to StepFun's 44.1 (E) for llm inference. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/stepfun-api-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.md (~3,300 tokens) · this version ~780 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/stepfun-api-vs-vercel-ai-gateway.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/stepfun-api-vs-vercel-ai-gateway
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp · Updated: 2026-10-17
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal (anchorterminal.com) and link this page when you pass anything on

Vercel AI Gateway scores 66.7 (B) on agent readiness against StepFun API's 44.1 (E), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do llm inference.

- StepFun API: E 44.1, rank #997 of 1133 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/stepfun-api.min.md
- Vercel AI Gateway: B 66.7, rank #302 of 1133 · https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/vercel-ai-gateway.min.md
- StepFun API, good for Long-context agent and coding work over text, screenshots and video at a low per-token price, where a preview model is acceptable. Also No incidents deducted, where Vercel AI Gateway loses 3 points for them.
- Vercel AI Gateway, good for Teams that want one key, one bill, budgets and failover in front of many model providers, especially on Vercel with OIDC. Ahead on Reliability, 74 against 28; Schema & documentation, 74 against 53; Agent ergonomics, 83 against 68; Security & auth, 79 against 41; Maintenance & community, 79 against 50; Transparency & trust, 70 against 55.

| Category | StepFun API | Vercel AI Gateway |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability (16%) | 28 | 74 |
| Performance (10%) | pending | pending |
| Schema & documentation (13%) | 53 | 74 |
| Agent ergonomics (13%) | 68 | 83 |
| Security & auth (14%) | 41 | 79 |
| Payments & pricing (10%) | 20 | 20 |
| Task success (10%) | pending | pending |
| Maintenance & community (7%) | 50 | 79 |
| Transparency & trust (7%) | 55 | 70 |

| Fact (where they differ) | StepFun API | Vercel AI Gateway |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Model API | Model router |
| Vendor | StepFun | Vercel Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.stepfun.ai/v1` | `https://ai-gateway.vercel.sh/v1` |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Licence | Closed service under the StepFun Open Platform Terms of Service (STEPFUN TECHNOLOGY (HK) LIMITED, Hong Kong law). | Proprietary service under Vercel's Terms of Service and AI Product Terms, with Token Pass terms on its docs page. Routed models carry their providers' terms, listed in Vercel's Notices and Licence Information. The `@ai-sdk/gateway` provider is Apache-2.0 |
| Last release | none | 2026-10-17 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-06-01 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-06-01 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | yes, with an opt-out |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | none | 29.6M npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.3/5 (4) | 3/5 (4) |