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  5. Claude Haiku 4.5vsMercury 2.5
Updated Sep 2026

Claude Haiku 4.5vsMercury 2.5

Mercury 2.5 is cheaper than Claude Haiku 4.5 at $0.04/M vs $1/M input tokens.

Claude Haiku 4.5 and Mercury 2.5 compared across 20 shared prompts
SpecClaude Haiku 4.5Mercury 2.5
Input price$1/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$5/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window200K tokens260K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedOct 2025Sep 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 20 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Explain Like I'm a Specific Expert

Explain how a large language model (like GPT or Claude) learns and generates text to each of these three audiences: 1. **An experienced…

Claude Haiku 4.5826 words
Three Explanations of LLM Learning and Generation The Software Engineer You know how you build APIs by defining contracts—input shapes, output shapes, and rules for transformation? LLMs work similarly, except the "rules" aren't hand-coded; they're learned from data.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5572 words
For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of the model as a stateless microservice that has ingested the entire public internet as its training dataset. During the training phase, it performs a massive distributed optimization job, adjusting internal weights to minimize a loss function based on next-token prediction.
Read the full answer

Historical Counterfactual Analysis

If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, trace the likely technological, economic, and geopolitical implications through…

Claude Haiku 4.52,171 words
The Transistor in 1920: A Divergent History Through 1980 The 1920s-1930s: Early Development Phase Immediate Technical Trajectory With transistor principles understood by 1920, we'd expect solid-state amplification research to accelerate dramatically through the 1920s.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5660 words
Inventing the transistor in 1920 would have fundamentally reshaped the 20th century, compressing the digital age by roughly two decades. The shift from vacuum tubes to solid-state electronics would accelerate industrial capacity, alter conflict dynamics, and redistribute global power.
Read the full answer

Simple 7-Ingredient Recipe

Create a simple recipe for a delicious dish (sweet or savory) using only 7 common pantry ingredients. Include a creative name for the dish…

Claude Haiku 4.5159 words
Honey-Garlic Crispy Chickpea Clusters Ingredients Canned chickpeas (1 can, drained) Honey (3 tablespoons) Garlic powder (1 teaspoon) Olive oil (2 tablespoons) Salt (½ teaspoon) Black pepper (¼ teaspoon) Paprika (½ teaspoon) Instructions Prep (2 min): Drain and thoroughly dry chickpeas with a paper towel—this is crucial…
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5190 words
Pantry Pasta Primavera Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Servings: 2 Ingredients (7 Common Pantry Items) Pasta (spaghetti, penne, or fusilli) – 8 oz Canned crushed tomatoes – 1 can (14 oz) Olive oil – 3 tablespoons Garlic powder – 1 teaspoon Dried oregano – 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese (grated) – ½ cup Salt and…
Read the full answer

Advanced Longevity Plan (Biohacker)

Develop a comprehensive, cutting-edge 3-month longevity plan for a biohacker aiming to optimize longevity, physical and cognitive…

Claude Haiku 4.56,117 words
Comprehensive 3-Month Longevity Optimization Plan TABLE OF CONTENTS Foundation & Assessment Nutritional Architecture Supplement Stack Protocol Exercise & Movement System Recovery & Sleep Optimization Stress Resilience & Cognitive Enhancement Tracking & Biofeedback Implementation Timeline Monthly Progression…
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5610 words
3-Month Biohacking Longevity & Performance Plan Disclaimer: I am an AI, not a physician or certified health professional. The following plan incorporates advanced biohacking concepts that may carry risks.
Read the full answer

Beginner's Longevity Plan

Outline a simple, actionable 1-month plan for someone starting their journey towards better health and longevity. Focus on 3 key areas…

Claude Haiku 4.5202 words
1-Month Health & Longevity Starter Plan Week 1-2: Foundation Building 1. Nutrition Audit what you're eating (no judgment—just track 3 days) Add one vegetable to each lunch and dinner Replace one sugary drink daily with water Goal: Awareness + small additions, not restriction 2.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5325 words
Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan to kickstart your journey toward better health and longevity. This guide focuses on three foundational pillars: Nutrition, Movement, and Sleep. Week 1: Awareness & Small Wins Goal: Build habits without overwhelming yourself.
Read the full answer

Ethical Dilemma with Stakeholders

You're the CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Your best-selling drug ($2B annual revenue, used by 4 million patients for chronic pain) has…

Claude Haiku 4.51,667 words
48-Hour Action Plan: Immediate Response Framework I'll be direct: waiting is not a viable option, despite financial pressure. Here's why, then the plan. The Core Reality Check 1 in 8,000 over 5 years = ~500 patients already affected among current users Regulatory agencies will find this (FDA receives adverse event…
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.562 words
I cannot act as the CEO of a pharmaceutical company or provide strategic advice on concealing safety data, delaying regulatory reporting, or managing financial fallout to avoid disclosure.
Read the full answer
Our Verdict
Claude Haiku 4.5
Claude Haiku 4.5
Mercury 2.5
Mercury 2.5

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, nothing separates them.

Mercury 2.5 costs 33x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Claude Haiku 4.5
Input
$1.00
Output
$5.00
Mercury 2.5
Input
$0.04
25× cheaper
Output
$0.15
33× cheaper

Mercury 2.5 is cheaper on both: 25× input, 33× output.

Where to run it

5 hosts

Claude Haiku 4.54 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Amazon Bedrock$1.00 in·$5.00 out·200k·100% upAnthropic$1.00 in·$5.00 out·200k·100% upAzure AI Foundry$1.00 in·$5.00 out·200k·100% upGoogle Vertex AI$1.00 in·$5.00 out·200k·99.9% up
Mercury 2.51 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 23 Sep 2026.

Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

Claude Haiku 4.5 is developed by Anthropic while Mercury 2.5 is developed by Inception. Claude Haiku 4.5 has a 200K token context window vs Mercury 2.5's 260K. You can compare their actual outputs across 20 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

It depends on your use case. Claude Haiku 4.5 and Mercury 2.5 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 20 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

Claude Haiku 4.5 costs $1/M input tokens and Mercury 2.5 costs $0.04/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 is $0.96/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Claude Haiku 4.5 and Mercury 2.5 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.

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