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  1. Home/
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  3. OpenAI Codex Mini vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

OpenAI Codex Mini vs Mercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than OpenAI Codex Mini at $0.04/M vs $1.5/M input tokens.

Pokémon Battle UI Recreation

Pokémon battle screen you can actually click. One HTML file.

Loading the build
OpenAI Codex Mini
Loading the build
Mercury 2.5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

2 prompts
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    OpenAI Codex Mini: [Comedian walks onstage] Hey, everyone! Great to see you all tonight. I'm Jamie—if you thought that intro was enthusiastic, you should've seen me when I realized this place has Wi-Fi. Seriously, though, I love stand-up.

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

    OpenAI Codex Mini: Sure—here are five jokes: I asked the librarian if books about paranoia were available. She whispered, "They're right behind you." Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing. I bought a boat because it was for sail. Don't trust stairs—they're always up to something.

    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

Price and specs

OpenAI Codex Mini and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 10 shared prompts
SpecOpenAI Codex MiniMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$1.5/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$6/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window200K tokens260K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2025Aug 2026
At 10M a month$15.00$15.00$0.40$0.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it1 host
OpenAI Codex Mini

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 OpenAI Codex Mini and Mercury 2.5 Preview?

OpenAI Codex Mini is developed by OpenAI while Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception. OpenAI Codex Mini has a 200K token context window vs Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K. You can compare their actual outputs across 10 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, OpenAI Codex Mini or Mercury 2.5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. OpenAI Codex Mini and Mercury 2.5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 10 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does OpenAI Codex Mini cost compared to Mercury 2.5 Preview?

OpenAI Codex Mini costs $1.5/M input tokens and Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $1.46/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 OpenAI Codex Mini and Mercury 2.5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of OpenAI Codex Mini 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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Same lab, same size, long tail

  • OpenAI Codex Mini vs GPT-6.1 SolSame lab
  • OpenAI Codex Mini vs GPT-6 Luna ProSame lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Mercury 2.5Same lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs MercurySame lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Qwen3 CoderNew provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Qwen3 Coder FlashSame size
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Model pages

  • OpenAI Codex Mini10 outputs, specs and price
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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