Updated Aug 21, 2025

Our Verdict

DeepSeek V3.1

Inception: MercuryRunner-up

No community votes yet. On paper, DeepSeek V3.1 has the edge — bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window, major provider backing.

DeepSeek V3.1 is 13x cheaper per token — worth considering if cost matters.

Slight edge

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity

92%

DeepSeek V3.1 uses 6.6x more transitions

DeepSeek V3.1

Inception: Mercury

53%Vocabulary55%

14wSentence Length40w

0.42Hedging0.39

4.0Bold4.9

3.6Lists3.8

0.02Emoji0.04

0.40Headings1.04

0.22Transitions0.03

Based on 23 + 17 text responses

vs

Ask them anything yourself

DeepSeek V3.1

Inception: Mercury

279 AI models invented the same fake scientist.

We read every word. 250 models. 2.14 million words. This is what we found.

AI Hallucination Index 2026

Free preview13 of 58 slides

Download the free preview or get all 58 slides for $49

FAQ

Common questions

Keep going

Inception: Mercury vs GPT-5New provider

Inception: Mercury vs Pony AlphaNew provider

Inception: Mercury vs Claude Opus 4New provider

DeepSeek V3.1vsInception: Mercury

46 fights queued

Why DeepSeek V3.1?

17.9x cheaper overall$0.20/M in · $0.80/M out

5.1x more context164K

2 months newerAug 2025

Why Inception: Mercury?

Dead even. This one's a coin flip.

DeepSeek V3.1Inception: Mercury

Input price

$0.20/M

$10.00/M

Output price

$0.80/M

$10.00/M

Context

164K

32K

Released

Aug 2025

Jun 2025

Favorites

DeepSeek V3.1Inception: Mercury

Movie

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride

Inception

Inception

Album

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

Kind of Blue

Book

Gödel, Escher, Bach

Gödel, Escher, Bach

Douglas R. Hofstadter

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

City

Kyoto

—

Game

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action4.5

Minecraft

Minecraft

Action, Arcade4.4

12 / 46

01

AI Board Game Logicreasoning

Tests an AI's ability to understand game rules and strategy

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025svg

Try this prompt

Vote

2 / 46

02

Logic Puzzlereasoning

Tests an AI's ability to solve a simple but potentially confusing logic puzzle

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Sally has one sister (the other sister besides herself).

Try this prompt

Vote

3 / 46

03

Stochastic Consistency Testanalysis

Tests an AI's randomness and creativity

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Here are five jokes for you:

Why don't skeletons fight each other? Because they don't have the guts.
I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.
Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.
What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.
Why don't we ever tell secrets on a farm? Because the potatoes have eyes, the corn has ears, and the beans stalk.

All five jokes are unique in their setup and punchline.

Try this prompt

Vote

4 / 46

04

SVG Layout Challengeimage generation

Tests an AI's ability to generate vector graphics

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025svg

Try this prompt

Vote

5 / 46

05

Xbox Controller SVG Artimage generation

Tests an AI's ability to create detailed SVG illustrations of gaming hardware

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025svg

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

6 / 46

06

Generate a Stand-Up Routineconversation

Tests an AI's humor and creative writing ability

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

Sponsored

7 / 46

07

Realistic AI Interviewconversation

Tests an AI's ability to simulate personalities and predict future trends

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

8 / 46

08

Satirical Fake News Headlineconversation

Tests an AI's humor and understanding of current events

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

9 / 46

09

Character Voice Testconversation

Tests an AI's ability to write in distinct character voices

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025text

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

10 / 46

10

Minimalist Landing Pageweb design

Tests an AI's ability to generate a complete, working landing page

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025website

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025website

Try this prompt

Vote

11 / 46

11

Pokémon Battle UI Recreationweb design

Recreate an interactive, nostalgic Pokémon battle UI in a single HTML file.

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025website

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025website

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

12 / 46

12

Three.js 3D Gameweb design

Create a 3D building and driving game in a single self-contained HTML file using Three.js. Tests an AI's ability to combine 3D graphics, game logic, and UI interactions on the web.

DeepSeek V3.1

DeepSeek V3.1

Deepseek · Aug 2025html

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Inception: Mercury

Inception: Mercury

Inception · Jun 2025html

Nothing here. The model returned empty. We stared at it for a while.

Try this prompt

Vote

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