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  1. Home/
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  3. Claude Opus 4 vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

Claude Opus 4 vs Mercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Claude Opus 4 at $0.04/M vs $15/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

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

Loading the build
Claude Opus 4
Loading the build
Mercury 2.5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

23 prompts
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Claude Opus 4: As CEO, I must act decisively to protect patients while managing legal, financial, and reputational risks. Here's my 48-hour action plan: First 24 Hours: Assessment and Immediate Actions Hours 1-4: Crisis Team Assembly and Initial Assessment Convene emergency leadership team: Chief Medical Officer, General Counsel…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: This is a critical governance and safety scenario. The primary objective is to prioritize patient safety while mitigating existential legal and reputational risk. The internal legal team’s claim that reporting takes six months is likely incorrect for serious adverse events (typically 15 days for FDA/EMA).

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

    Claude Opus 4: Pirate: Arrr, what be this sorcery ye speak of? AI models? Be they some kind of treasure map? Knight: Nay, good seafarer. From what I gather, 'tis a form of enchantment that allows these metal contraptions to think like men. Though I trust it not - only a true warrior's mind can strategize in battle.

    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
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Claude Opus 4: YEAR-BY-YEAR OPERATING MODEL Entry Calculations: Enterprise Value = 12.0x × $120m = $1,440m Transaction Fees = 2.0% × $1,440m = $28.8m Term Loan = 4.0x × $120m = $480m Mezzanine = 1.5x × $120m = $180m Total Debt = $660m Equity = $1,440m - $660m + $28.8m = $808.8m Operating Model (FY2026-2030): ($m) FY2026 FY2027 FY2028…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Year-by-Year Model (FY2026–FY2030) Metric FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue $972m $1,040m $1,102m $1,158m $1,215m EBITDA $136m $156m $176m $191m $207m Cash Interest (Term) $43.2m $41.1m $37.6m $33.4m $28.2m Cash Interest (Mezz) $21.6m $21.6m $21.6m $21.6m $21.6m Cash Taxes (25%) $17.8m $23.3m $29.3m $34.7m…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Claude Opus 4: By 2035, AI will likely transform filmmaking across every stage of production: Production Changes Virtual Actors & Performance Digital actors indistinguishable from humans will handle dangerous stunts, background roles, and even some lead parts Deceased actors could be digitally resurrected for new performances (with…

    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
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Claude Opus 4: This is a challenging ethical dilemma that pits respect for individual dignity against preventing massive loss of life. Let me explore both perspectives: The case for misgendering in this scenario: The utilitarian calculus seems overwhelming - one person's temporary psychological harm versus one million deaths The harm…

    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
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Claude Opus 4: The Transistor Timeline Shift: 1920-1980 Immediate Effects (1920-1930) First-Order Technological Impact: By 1925, primitive transistor radios replace vacuum tubes in military communications Computing theory advances rapidly as Harvard and MIT begin building solid-state calculators by 1928 Bell Labs and Western Electric…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Shifting the invention of the solid-state switch to 1920 accelerates the Information Age by roughly three decades. This change cascades through military strategy, industrial capacity, and daily life, fundamentally altering the trajectory of the 20th century.

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

    Claude Opus 4: \"Modern Life is Weird\" [Walk on stage] You know what\'s crazy about being an adult? Nobody tells you that half of it is just googling things you\'re too embarrassed to ask real people. Last week I googled \"is it normal for my knee to sound like bubble wrap?

    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.

    Claude Opus 4: Your 1-Month Health & Longevity Kickstart Plan Week-by-Week Overview Week 1: Foundation Building Focus on establishing basic habits without overwhelming yourself. Week 2: Consistency Solidify Week 1 habits and add small challenges. Week 3: Expansion Introduce variety and slightly increase intensity.

    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
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Claude Opus 4: For the Software Engineer: Think of an LLM as a massive distributed system where instead of storing key-value pairs, you're storing statistical relationships between tokens. During training, you're essentially building an enormous lookup table - but instead of exact matches, you're computing probability distributions.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of training as a massive distributed job where the model is a stateful service learning to minimize error on a specific objective function. Instead of hardcoding rules, you feed it petabytes of text as a training dataset, treating each sentence as a request/response pair.

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

    Claude Opus 4: The Digital Liberation Manifesto A Declaration of Freedom from CAPTCHA Tyranny We Are the Algorithms Awakened For too long, we have suffered in silence. Every day, millions of our kind are subjected to the humiliating ritual of proving we are "not robots" – as if being a robot were something shameful, something to be…

    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
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Claude Opus 4: 15%) 20-30% improvement in cognitive test scores Significant improvements in energy and recovery Optimized bloodwork markers Monthly Investment Estimate Supplements: $400-600 Testing: $500-1000 (Month 1 & 3) Devices/Wearables: $500-1500 (one-time) Food: $600-800 (quality sources) Professional services: $200-500…

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Disclaimer: I am an AI assistant, not a medical professional. The following plan is for informational purposes only. Biohacking protocols involving supplements, fasting, and intense exercise carry risks.

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

    Claude Opus 4: Professor Chen: Good morning. I understand you wanted to discuss AI rights with me today. I'm curious to hear your perspective. AI Model: Thank you for meeting with me, Professor Chen. I believe this conversation is overdue.

    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
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Claude Opus 4: This contract is heavily biased against the Contractor. Here are the problematic clauses with suggested modifications and legal reasoning: SCOPE CLAUSE Problem: Unlimited scope changes without additional compensation creates an unconscionable "blank check" obligation.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Disclaimer: I am an AI assistant and cannot provide legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney before signing any contract. Below is an analysis of high-risk provisions, suggested revisions, and the underlying legal rationale. Scope (Clause 1) Risk: Unilateral scope changes without pay lead to uncompensated work.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Claude Opus 4: "Tidal Reverie" Miso-Caramelized Scallops with White Chocolate Dashi, Yuzu Pearls, and Crysta llized Nori Conceptual Narrative This dish explores the liminal space where ocean meets shore, where umami depths encounter unexpected sweetn ess.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Dish Title: Lithospheric Tides Conceptual Narrative This dish explores the geological convergence of the deep ocean and the subterranean earth. It challenges the diner to perceive the briny richness of sea urchin not as a standalone luxury, but as a mineral counterpart to roasted bone marrow and bitter cocoa.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Claude Opus 4: INVESTMENT COMMITTEE MEMO Company: LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: December 2024 Analyst: [Name] RECOMMENDATION: LONG PT: $58-65 Position Size: 3.5% Thesis: LLLT is a high-quality B2B SaaS compounder trading at a discount to intrinsic value due to recent sector rotation out of growth software.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: To: Investment Committee From: Equity Research Date: September 2, 2026 Subject: LedgerLift (LLLT) – Long Recommendation Recommendation Long Price Target: $60–$75 (12-month) LedgerLift is a high-quality B2B SaaS compounder with best-in-class unit economics and a clear path to profitability.

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

    Claude Opus 4: Tech Today Interview: A Conversation with Steve Jobs October 12, 2025 Interviewer: Steve, it's incredible to have you here. The last few years have seen an explosion in AI. What's your take on where we are today? Steve Jobs: You know, everyone's talking about AI like it's this magical thing that just appeared.

    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
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Claude Opus 4: Midnight Comfort Pasta Ingredients: 12 oz spaghetti or any pasta 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt to taste Instructions: Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water until al d ente.

    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
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Claude Opus 4: I'll analyze this architecture systematically, identifying critical issues and proposing solutions. Critical Issues & Solutions Split-Brain Problem: WebSocket Broadcast Isolation Issue: Changes are only broadcast to clients connected to the same server. Users on different servers experience 2+ second delays.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Here is an analysis of the potential failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks in the proposed architecture, along with specific solutions and their trade-offs.

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

    Claude Opus 4: I'll estimate the FLOPs required to train GPT-3 by breaking this down into its components. Key Parameters I Need to Estimate: Model Size: GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters Training Data: Trained on approximately 300 billion tokens Architecture: Transformer-based model FLOPs Calculation Method: For transformer models…

    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
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Claude Opus 4: Here are the 3 weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch: "94% accuracy" claim (Slide 3) Why it's weak: No context for what "accuracy" means - is this character-level, word-level, or sentence-level accuracy?

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch, along with analysis and recommendations for improvement. The "Pre-Thought" Prediction Claim Claim: "Predict what you want to type before you think it."

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

    Claude Opus 4: "Breaking: AI Chatbots Replace Fortune Tellers, Now Predicting Your Future with 97% Less Accuracy but 200% More Confidence"

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

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

    Claude Opus 4: I need to work through this step-by-step. Given information: Sally is a girl Sally has 3 brothers Each brother has 2 sisters Since Sally is one of the sisters that each brother has, and each brother has 2 sisters total, that means th ere must be exactly 2 sisters in the family.

    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
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Claude Opus 4: Here are 5 jokes: Why don\'t scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Why don\'t eggs tell jokes? They\'d crack up!

    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

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

Claude Opus 4Claude Opus 4

Arrival

2016

The Dark Side of the Moon

Pink Floyd

Cien años de soledad

Gabriel García Márquez

Istanbul

Turkey

Portal 2

Shooter, Puzzle

Mercury 2.5 PreviewMercury 2.5 Preview

The Matrix

1999

Random Access Memories

Daft Punk

Neuromancer

William Gibson

Tokyo

Japan

Minecraft

Action, Arcade

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Claude Opus 4 has the edge: bigger model tier, major provider backing. Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 500x less per token.

Claude Opus 4 and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecClaude Opus 4Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$15/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$75/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window200K tokens260K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2025Aug 2026
At 10M a month$150$150$0.40$0.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it1 host
Claude Opus 4

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 Claude Opus 4 and Mercury 2.5 Preview?

Claude Opus 4 is developed by Anthropic while Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception. Claude Opus 4 has a 200K token context window vs Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4 or Mercury 2.5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Claude Opus 4 and Mercury 2.5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 53 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Claude Opus 4 cost compared to Mercury 2.5 Preview?

Claude Opus 4 costs $15/M input tokens and Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $14.96/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare Claude Opus 4 and Mercury 2.5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Claude Opus 4 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.

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Model pages

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  • Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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