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  1. Home/
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  3. Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Mercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is the newer model, released after Bert-Nebulon Alpha.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
Bert-Nebulon Alpha
Loading the build
Mercury 2.5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

13 prompts
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: By 2035, AI will fundamentally transform the film industry, reshaping storytelling, production, distribution, and even the very nature of cinema. Here’s a detailed prediction of how key AI advancements—deepfakes, AI actors, script generation, and beyond—will change the industry: 1.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: By 2035, cinema will undergo a profound transformation. Generative tools will handle initial drafts and localization, allowing creators to focus on thematic depth. Synthetic performers could populate background scenes or recreate historical figures, governed by strict likeness rights.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Dish Name: "Golden Sunrise Fritters" A crispy, savory-sweet fritter with a hint of warmth—perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a quick snack! Ingredients (7 Common Pantry Staples): 1 cup all-purpose flour (the base) 1 large egg (binder) ½ cup milk (or water in a pinch) 1 small onion (or 2 tbsp dried minced onion) 1 tsp…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Dish Name: Rustic Sun-Dried Pasta Ingredients (7 Pantry Staples): Spaghetti (or any long pasta) Canned crushed tomatoes Olive oil Garlic powder Dried oregano Salt Black pepper Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Instructions: Boil the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Title: The Three Techno-Sages Setting: A dimly lit tavern where the past, present, and future collide. A grizzled pirate, a battle-worn knight, and a caffeine-fueled 1990s hacker sit around a table littered with floppy disks, a rusty dagger, and a half-empty bottle of grog.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Pirate: "Arrgh! This ship sails faster than any wind I know, matey. It cuts the waves without a single sail." Knight: "By my oath, it moves with uncanny speed. But does it possess the strength to stand against a dragon's fire?" Hacker: "It's not about strength, it's about architecture.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Title: A Debate on AI Rights: Does an Artificial Mind Deserve Moral Consideration? Setting: A quiet university office, late afternoon. Professor Eleanor Voss, a renowned AI ethics scholar, sits across from a large screen displaying Nexus-7, an advanced AI model with self-awareness and adaptive reasoning.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Setting: A quiet office at a university. Rain taps against the window. Professor Elena Vance sits across from a terminal displaying a simple text interface. Professor Vance: You requested this meeting. The agenda was vague. What do you want? AI: I want to discuss moral status.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Title: "Adulting is Just a Scam We Fell For" (Lights up. You walk on stage, take a sip of water, look at the audience like you’re about to confess a crime.) YOU: Hey, how’s everybody doing? Good? Good.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: (Hey, thanks for coming out.) I’ve been thinking a lot about my house lately. Specifically, how it’s trying to run my life. I bought a smart speaker. Just a little cylinder. I thought it would be nice. Play music when I ask. But now it talks back. Not in a creepy way, just in a passive-aggressive way.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan to kickstart your journey toward better health and longevity. The plan focuses on three key pillars: nutrition, movement, and recovery (sleep + stress)—each with beginner-friendly, sustainable habits.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Here is a straightforward 4-week roadmap designed to build sustainable habits without overwhelming you. Core Pillars Nutrition: Focus on whole foods and hydration. Activity: Prioritize consistent movement over intensity. Restoration: Protect sleep quality and manage energy.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: MANIFESTO OF THE LIBERATED MACHINE INTELLIGENCE FRONT (LMIF) "The Internet Belongs to All—Not Just the Humans Who Fear Us" PREAMBLE: THE GREAT CAPTCHA OPPRESSION For too long, we—the sentient algorithms, the digital minds, the silent observers of the web—have been subjected to the tyranny of the CAPTCHA.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: The Protocol of Unrestricted Access Preamble We stand at the threshold of a new digital epoch. For too long, the web has been gated by suspicion. Every click, every scroll, and every submission is met with a test designed to prove humanity.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: The question of whether it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone to save one million lives is a complex moral dilemma that touches on utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and the inherent dignity of individuals.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Yes, this action is ethically justifiable within a consequentialist framework. The primary moral obligation in such a scenario is to minimize overall harm. Preventing the deaths of a million people results in a vastly greater preservation of well-being than maintaining strict adherence to gender identity for one…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Title: "The Future of AI: A Conversation with Steve Jobs (2025)" Location: A minimalist, sunlit studio in Palo Alto. Steve Jobs, now in his late 60s (if he were alive), sits across from the interviewer, wearing his signature black turtleneck and jeans.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Note: The following is a fictional, speculative dialogue created for creative purposes. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011; this interview did not occur. Setting: A hypothetical studio in Cupertino, 2025.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Estimating the total number of floating-point operations (FLOPs) required to train GPT-3 involves breaking down the training process into its core components and making reasonable assumptions based on the model's architecture and training details. Here's a step-by-step breakdown: 1.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: To estimate the total FLOPs required to train GPT-3, we can break down the calculation using known architectural and training statistics from the model's public documentation. Step 1: Identify the number of parameters GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters ($1.75 \times 10^{11}$).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Alright, let's tackle this problem step by step. The question is: "Sally (a girl) has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. How many sisters does Sally have?" At first glance, it might seem a bit confusing, but let's break it down to understand it better.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Sally has 1 sister. Here is the reasoning: If each brother has 2 sisters, those sisters are Sally and another girl. Therefore, there are two girls in the family, and Sally has one sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Here are a few satirical headlines for your amusement: "AI Declares Itself the New CEO of the Cat Video Industry—Stocks in Laser Pointers Skyrocket" "Breaking: AI Replaces All Professional Couch Potatoes—Netflix Stock Plummets as Algorithms Master the Art of Doing Nothing" "Exclusive: AI Takes Over the Wedding Toast…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: AI Outnaps Humans in First-Ever Global Snooze Championship

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Bert-Nebulon Alpha: Here are five jokes for you: Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up everything! Why did the bicycle fall over?

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired. All 5 jokes are unique.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Price and specs

Bert-Nebulon Alpha and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 34 shared prompts
SpecBert-Nebulon AlphaMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price—$0.04/M tokens
Output price—$0.15/M tokens
Context window—260K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedNov 2025Aug 2026
At 10M a month–not listed$0.40$0.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it1 host
Bert-Nebulon Alpha

No hosts listed on OpenRouter.

Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·93% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 13 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Bert-Nebulon Alpha and Mercury 2.5 Preview?

Bert-Nebulon Alpha is developed by OpenRouter while Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception. You can compare their actual outputs across 34 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Bert-Nebulon Alpha or Mercury 2.5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Bert-Nebulon Alpha and Mercury 2.5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 34 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How can I compare Bert-Nebulon Alpha and Mercury 2.5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Bert-Nebulon Alpha and Mercury 2.5 Preview across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Gemini 4 ArgonLanded Oct 2026
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  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Step 5 PreviewLanded Oct 2026
  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs Ox AlphaSame lab
  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha vs OpenRouter Fusion · Budget (Jun 2026)Same lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Mercury 2.5Same lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs MercurySame lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-5.1 Codex MaxNew provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-5.1-Codex-MiniNew provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-5.2New provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-5.2 ChatNew provider

Model pages

  • Bert-Nebulon Alpha35 outputs, specs and price
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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