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  5. DeepSeek R1 0528vsMercury 2.5
Updated Sep 2026

DeepSeek R1 0528vsMercury 2.5

DeepSeek R1 0528 is cheaper than Mercury 2.5 at $0/M vs $0.04/M input tokens.

DeepSeek R1 0528 and Mercury 2.5 compared across 20 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek R1 0528Mercury 2.5
Input priceFree$0.04/M tokens
Output priceFree$0.15/M tokens
Context window164K tokens260K tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2025Sep 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 5 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…

DeepSeek R1 0528848 words
Here's how to explain LLM learning and generation to each audience, tailored to their perspective: For the Experienced Software Engineer (Skeptical about "Next Word Prediction") Focus: Systems analogy, emergent complexity, pattern recognition as understanding.
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

Startup Pitch Teardown

Here's a pitch deck summary for a startup called "MindMeld AI": **Slide 1 - Vision:** "We're building the future of human-AI collaboration.…

DeepSeek R1 0528657 words
Here are the 3 weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, why they are weak, and how to strengthen them: Weak Claim (Slide 3): "Our proprietary EEG headband uses advanced ML to decode neural patterns into text with 94% accuracy. Works with any language, any device."
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5544 words
Based on the pitch deck summary, here are the three weakest claims, along with an analysis of their vulnerabilities and concrete suggestions for improvement. The "Pre-Thought" Prediction Claim Claim: "MindMeld AI reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it."
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…

DeepSeek R1 0528478 words
Here's a concrete, hour-by-hour action plan prioritizing patient safety, legal compliance, and long-term stakeholder trust, while managing immediate financial and reputational risks: Core Principle: Patient safety and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable.
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

Historical Counterfactual Analysis

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

DeepSeek R1 05281,203 words
The invention of the transistor in 1920, rather than 1947, would have fundamentally reshaped the 20th century, creating a technological acceleration of roughly 25-30 years by 1980. Here’s a detailed analysis of the implications: I.
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

Adversarial Contract Review

Here is a contract for a software consulting engagement: --- SOFTWARE CONSULTING AGREEMENT This Agreement is entered into between TechCorp…

DeepSeek R1 05281,345 words
Here’s an analysis of exploitable clauses, proposed modifications, and legal reasoning: Red Flag Clauses & Exploitation Risks: Scope (Clause 1): Exploitation: "Modify scope at any time without additional compensation" allows unlimited scope creep. Client could demand vastly more work without paying extra.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5501 words
Here is an analysis of the contract clauses that pose significant risk to the contractor, along with suggested modifications and legal reasoning. Scope and Compensation (Clause 1) Risk: The client can expand the project indefinitely without paying extra.
Read the full answer
Our Verdict
DeepSeek R1 0528
DeepSeek R1 0528
Mercury 2.5
Mercury 2.5

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

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

DeepSeek R1 0528
Input
$0.000
Output
$0.000
Mercury 2.5
Input
$0.04
Output
$0.15
Where to run it

5 hosts, cheapest first

DeepSeek R1 05284 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
DDeepInfrafp4$0.50 in·$2.15 out·164k·100% upSSiliconFlowfp8$0.50 in·$2.18 out·164k·99.3% upSStreamLake$0.57 in·$2.29 out·128k·99.4% upNNovitafp8$0.70 in·$2.50 out·164k·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

DeepSeek R1 0528 is developed by DeepSeek while Mercury 2.5 is developed by Inception. DeepSeek R1 0528 has a 164K 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. DeepSeek R1 0528 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.

DeepSeek R1 0528 costs $0/M input tokens and Mercury 2.5 costs $0.04/M input tokens. DeepSeek R1 0528 is $0.04/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 DeepSeek R1 0528 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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Model pages

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Rival
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Explore all of Rival

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  • SubjectiveBench
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  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
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  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
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