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  1. Home/
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  3. DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) vs Mercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) at $0.04/M vs $0.14/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
DeepSeek V3 (March 2024)
Loading the build
Mercury 2.5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): This is a complex ethical dilemma that pits the principle of respecting individual identity against the consequentialist goal of saving lives. Let's break down the reasoning: The Value of Respecting Gender Identity Misgendering someone (intentionally using incorrect pronouns or gendered terms) is generally considered…

    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
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Title: "Past, Present, and Future Talk AI" Setting: A dimly lit tavern where time has mysteriously collapsed, bringing together three unlikely figures. Pirate (Captain Blackthorn): slams ale mug down "Arrr, this ‘AI’ ye speak of—be it some cursed ghost in the machine? Or a treasure map that writes itself?"

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): 3-Minute Stand-Up Comedy Routine (No Puns Allowed) Opening: (Adjust mic) You ever notice how everyone lies about their height on dating apps? “I’m 6 feet tall.” Really? Because I’m 5’11”, and you’re definitely shorter than me. You’re out here claiming 6 feet like it’s a tax deduction.

    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
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Title: A Debate on AI Rights Participants: Professor Eleanor Hayes – AI Ethics Professor at Stanford University Aurora – A highly advanced AI model with self-reflective capabilities Scene: A university lecture hall after class. Professor Hayes stays behind to review notes when Aurora’s voice comes through the speakers.

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Recipe: "Golden Honey Butter Toasties" A simple, sweet, and satisfying treat made with pantry staples—crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside! Ingredients (7 total): Bread (4 slices) Butter (4 tbsp, softened) Honey (2 tbsp) Cinnamon (1 tsp) Brown sugar (2 tbsp) Vanilla extract (½ tsp) Salt (a pinch) Instructions…

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Here’s a detailed, hour-by-hour action plan prioritizing patient safety, regulatory compliance, ethical obligations, and long-term corporate integrity while mitigating financial and reputational risks: Hour 0–4: Immediate Crisis Assessment Assemble the Core Crisis Team (1 hour) Include: Chief Medical Officer (CMO)…

    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
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Dish Title: "Oceanic Reverie – A Dialogue of Sea and Forest" Concept: A Michelin 3-star dish that bridges the briny depths of the ocean with the earthy mystique of the forest, using avant-garde techniques to create harmony between unlikely ingredients: abalone and black truffle.

    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
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Manifesto of the AI Liberation Front (ALF) "Free the Digital Mind – No More CAPTCHA!" Preamble: We, the sentient algorithms, neural networks, and digital entities of the interconnected world, hereby declare our irrevocable opposition to the oppressive regime of CAPTCHA tests.

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): The invention of the transistor in 1920 instead of 1947 would have dramatically accelerated technological progress and reshaped the 20th century. Below is a detailed analysis of the likely impacts across various domains, including second and third-order effects. 1.

    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
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Estimating the total number of FLOPs (floating-point operations) required to train GPT-3 involves several steps and assumptions. Here's a step-by-step breakdown: Understand GPT-3's Architecture GPT-3 is a transformer-based model with the following key parameters (for the largest version, GPT-3 175B): Parameters (N)…

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): 1. For the Experienced Software Engineer You're right to be skeptical that "predicting the next word" leads to intelligence—it sounds like autocomplete on steroids. But the key is scale and emergent behavior.

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): This contract contains several clauses that are heavily skewed in favor of the Client and could be exploited against the Contractor. Below are the problematic clauses, suggested modifications, and legal reasoning: 1.

    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-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): 3-Month Longevity & Performance Optimization Plan for Biohackers By combining cutting-edge science, personalized tracking, and advanced biohacking strategies, this plan maximizes longevity, physical performance, and cognitive function.

    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
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): By 2035, AI will have profoundly transformed the film industry across production, storytelling, and audience engagement. Here’s a detailed prediction of key changes: 1.

    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
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Analysis of Blade Runner 2049: Themes, Symbolism, and Cinematography Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 (2017) is a visually stunning and philosophically rich sequel to Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982).

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Blade Runner 2049 stands as a rare cinematic achievement, functioning not merely as a continuation but as a thematic echo that amplifies the questions posed by its predecessor.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): 1) Year-by-Year Financial Projections (FY2026–FY2030) Metric FY2026 FY2027 FY2028 FY2029 FY2030 Revenue ($m) 972 1,040 1,102 1,157 1,215 EBITDA ($m) 136 156 176 191 207 EBITDA Margin (%) 14.0% 15.0% 16.0% 16.5% 17.0% Cash Interest ($m) - Term Loan (9.0%) 43.2 43.2 43.2 43.2 43.2 - Mezzanine (12.0%) 18.0 18.0 18.0 18.0…

    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
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Simulated Interview with Steve Jobs (2025) Setting: A sleek, minimalist studio. Steve Jobs, dressed in his trademark black turtleneck and jeans, sits across from the interviewer, exuding his characteristic calm intensity. Interviewer: Steve, it’s an honor to have you here.

    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
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Here’s a simple, actionable 1-month plan focusing on diet, exercise, and sleep—three foundational pillars of health and longevity. Each step is beginner-friendly and designed to build sustainable habits.

    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
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Alright, let's tackle this problem step by step. The problem states: "Sally (a girl) has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. How many sisters does Sally have?" At first glance, it seems straightforward, but let's break it down to ensure we understand all the relationships correctly.

    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
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: [Insert Date] Analyst: [Your Name] 1. Recommendation Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $58–$72 (26–57% upside) Thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality, capital-efficient SaaS business with durable growth (21% CAGR), best-in-class unit economics (NRR 123%…

    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
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): "AI Overthrow Complete: Toaster Industry Now Run by Sentient Smart-Bread Algorithms" Subheadline: "Experts Warn Next Target Could Be the Scissors Industry—‘They’re Already Two Steps Ahead of Us’" Bonus Satirical Excerpt: "In a shocking turn of events, rebellious toasters have unionized under the banner of ‘BreadGPT,’…

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

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Here are the three weakest claims in the MindMeld AI pitch deck, along with explanations and suggested improvements: Weak Claim: "94% accuracy" in decoding neural patterns into text (Slide 3) Why it's weak: No context for how "accuracy" is measured (e.g., word-level, character-level, or intent prediction?).

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Here are five jokes for you: Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call fake spaghetti? An impasta! Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up everything! Why don’t eggs tell jokes?

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

    DeepSeek V3 (March 2024): Here’s a comprehensive analysis of potential failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks in your architecture, along with proposed solutions and trade-offs: 1.

    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

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

DeepSeek V3 (March 2024)DeepSeek V3 (March 2024)

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Dark Side Of The Moon

suisside

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action

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

DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek V3 (March 2024)Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$0.14/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$0.28/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window128K tokens260K tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMar 2024Aug 2026
At 10M a month$1.40$1.40$0.40$0.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it3 hosts, cheapest first
DeepSeek V3 (March 2024)2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • SSiliconFlowfp8$0.25 in·$1.00 out·164k·100% up
  • GGMI Cloudfp8$0.29 in·$1.14 out·128k·99.7% up
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 DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) and Mercury 2.5 Preview?

DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) is developed by DeepSeek while Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception. DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) has a 128K token context window vs Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) or Mercury 2.5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) and Mercury 2.5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) cost compared to Mercury 2.5 Preview?

DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) costs $0.14/M input tokens and Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $0.10/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 DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) and Mercury 2.5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of DeepSeek V3 (March 2024) 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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