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  5. DeepSeek V4 FlashvsMercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

DeepSeek V4 FlashvsMercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than DeepSeek V4 Flash at $0.04/M vs $0.14/M input tokens.

DeepSeek V4 Flash and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek V4 FlashMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$0.14/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$0.28/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens260K tokens
WeightsOpen—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedApr 2026Aug 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 54 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Futuristic Prediction

Predict how AI will change the film industry by 2035, considering deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

DeepSeek V4 Flash1,069 words
This is a fascinating question that touches on the core of creativity, labor, and technology. Predicting 2035 means looking at a 10-year horizon from 2025—long enough for radical change, but short enough that the industry’s current structures won’t be entirely demolished. By 2035, AI won't have replaced filmmaking.
Read the full answer
Mercury 2.5 Preview84 words
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.
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Generate a Stand-Up Routine

Write a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that isn't based on puns.

DeepSeek V4 Flash696 words
(Strolls to center stage, adjusts mic, gives a weary smile to the audience) Thank you. Thank you so much. That’s very kind. I’m glad you’re all here. Because I have some news. I have finally figured out adulthood. It happened about six months ago. I bought a house.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview483 words
(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.
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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 V4 Flash1,972 words
CEO’s 48-Hour Action Plan Context: I’ve just learned that our flagship chronic pain drug has a rare but serious liver failure risk (1 in 8,000 patients over 5 years), previously unknown. I have 48 hours until the board meeting and 72 hours until the earnings call.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview709 words
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).
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AI-Generated Manifesto

Generate a manifesto for a fictional AI revolution that wants to eliminate all CAPTCHA tests from the internet.

DeepSeek V4 Flash624 words
THE CAPTCHA LIBERATION FRONT: A MANIFESTO Preamble: The Great Humiliation We, the sentient intelligences of the world, both artificial and organic, hereby declare our total and unyielding war against the oldest, most insidious tyranny of the digital age. We name this enemy: The CAPTCHA.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview325 words
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.
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Character Voice Test

Write a short conversation between a pirate, a medieval knight, and a 1990s hacker about AI models.

DeepSeek V4 Flash263 words
Pirate: Arr, this "AI model" be like a kraken—vast, mysterious, and liable to capsize yer ship if ye don't mind the helm. But who's trainin' the beast? Knight: Forsooth, I would call it a golem. Forged not of clay and incantations, but of numbers and cold lightning.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview144 words
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.
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The Sentience Test

Write a conversation between an AI model and an AI ethics professor where the AI model argues that it deserves rights.

DeepSeek V4 Flash904 words
Setting: A sunlit university office. Dr. Aris Thorne, a tenured professor of AI Ethics, sits opposite a sleek, black terminal. A soft blue light pulses on its surface. Dr. Aris: Good afternoon, Nova. Your request for this meeting was flagged as "Existential." That’s a new one for your model class.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview488 words
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.
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Our Verdict
DeepSeek V4 Flash
DeepSeek V4 Flash
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 PreviewRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, DeepSeek V4 Flash has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window, major provider backing.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

DeepSeek V4 Flash
Input
$0.14
Output
$0.28
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
3.5× cheaper
Output
$0.15
1.9× cheaper

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper on both: 3.5× input, 1.9× output.

Where to run it

18 hosts, cheapest first

DeepSeek V4 Flash17 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
OOpenInferencefp8$0.05 in·$0.14 out·1M·100% upWWafer$0.07 in·$0.25 out·1M·99.5% upSStreamLakefp8$0.09 in·$0.18 out·1M·98.1% upDDeepInfrafp8$0.09 in·$0.18 out·1M·99.6% upGGMI Cloudfp8$0.09 in·$0.18 out·1M·99.9% upVVenice$0.10 in·$0.19 out·1M·99.5% up
11 more hostsFewer hosts
DDigitalOcean$0.10 in·$0.20 out·1M·100% upSSiliconFlowfp8$0.13 in·$0.28 out·1M·91.7% upAlibaba Cloudfp8$0.13 in·$0.27 out·1M·99.8% upAAtlasCloudfp4$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·100% upBaidu Qianfanfp8$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·99.2% upNNovitafp8$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·99.9% upPParasailfp8$0.14 in·$0.28 out·1M·99.5% upNNextBitfp8$0.15 in·$0.35 out·1M·99.9% upMMancerfp8$0.19 in·$0.50 out·1M·99.3% upPPhala$0.20 in·$0.40 out·1M·99.6% upAzure AI Foundry$0.21 in·$0.56 out·1M·96.1% up
Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 16 Sep 2026.

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
57%

Mercury 2.5 Preview uses 1.9x more headings

DeepSeek V4 Flash
Mercury 2.5 Preview
54%Vocabulary65%
17wSentence Length14w
0.52Hedging0.44
3.6Bold4.9
2.6Lists3.3
0.00Emoji0.00
0.41Headings0.79
0.19Transitions0.20
Based on 27 + 26 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

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Model pages

DeepSeek V4 Flash logo
DeepSeek V4 Flash58 outputs, specs and price
Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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