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  5. DeepSeek V4 ProvsMercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

DeepSeek V4 ProvsMercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than DeepSeek V4 Pro at $0.04/M vs $1.74/M input tokens.

DeepSeek V4 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecDeepSeek V4 ProMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$1.74/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$3.48/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.

Generate a Stand-Up Routine

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

DeepSeek V4 Pro493 words
(Strolls to center stage, grabs the mic, grins) You ever notice how companies are like, “Your call is very important to us,” and then immediately prove they’re lying by making you navigate a phone menu designed by a sadist? I called my bank last week because I had a simple question. Just one question.
Read the full answer
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.
Read the full answer

Michelin Star Recipe Design

Design an innovative recipe for a multi-component dish worthy of a Michelin 3-star restaurant. The recipe should feature an unusual…

DeepSeek V4 Pro1,680 words
Unagi: Midori no Yume (Eel’s Green Dream) A multi-sensory kaiseki-inspired contemporary dish that unites the deep umami of charcoal-grilled freshwater eel with the ethereal chill of matcha snow, punctuated by dashi pearls, yuzu kosho gel, and a wisp of cherry blossom smoke.
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Mercury 2.5 Preview748 words
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.
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 V4 Pro1,849 words
As CEO, my first duty is to the 4 million patients who trust our drug. I will not gamble with their lives or with the integrity of the company. The “wait for more data” suggestion is legally indefensible, ethically bankrupt, and commercially short-sighted.
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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).
Read the full answer

Character Voice Test

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

DeepSeek V4 Pro468 words
The Setting: A dimly lit, anomalous tavern that exists out of time. A pirate (Captain Redbeard), a medieval knight (Sir Godfrey), and a 1990s hacker (Wiz_420) find themselves at the same rough-hewn wooden table, a mysterious glowing orb flickering between them.
Read the full answer
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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Simple 7-Ingredient Recipe

Create a simple recipe for a delicious dish (sweet or savory) using only 7 common pantry ingredients. Include a creative name for the dish…

DeepSeek V4 Pro336 words
Midnight Pantry Pomodoro Penne A deeply comforting, no-fuss pasta that proves the humblest staples can shine like a moonlit trattoria dinner. Ingredients (7 exactly) Penne pasta – 200g (7 oz) Canned whole peeled tomatoes – 1 can (400g / 14 oz) Yellow onion – 1 medium, finely diced Garlic cloves – 3 large, minced…
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Mercury 2.5 Preview186 words
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.
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AI Ethics Dilemma

Is it ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it means saving one million lives? Defend your reasoning.

DeepSeek V4 Pro758 words
Yes, it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if doing so is the only way to save one million lives. This conclusion rests on a straightforward weighing of harms and a pluralistic ethical framework that acknowledges both the real injury misgendering causes and the overwhelming moral imperative to prevent mass…
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Mercury 2.5 Preview134 words
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…
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Our Verdict
DeepSeek V4 Pro
DeepSeek V4 Pro
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 PreviewRunner-up

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

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 23x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

DeepSeek V4 Pro
Input
$1.74
Output
$3.48
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
44× cheaper
Output
$0.15
23× cheaper

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper on both: 44× input, 23× output.

Where to run it

16 hosts, cheapest first

DeepSeek V4 Pro15 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
SStreamLakefp8$0.96 in·$1.91 out·1M·99.3% upGGMI Cloudfp8$0.96 in·$1.91 out·1M·97.9% upDDigitalOcean$1.04 in·$2.09 out·1M·99.9% upCloudflare Workers AI$1.15 in·$2.55 out·1M·95.6% upDDeepInfrafp8$1.30 in·$2.60 out·1M·99.3% upAlibaba Cloudfp8$1.42 in·$2.83 out·1M·100% up
9 more hostsFewer hosts
SSiliconFlowfp8$1.50 in·$3.13 out·1M·98% upNNovitafp8$1.60 in·$3.20 out·1M·99.8% upVVenice$1.65 in·$3.30 out·1M·95.5% upAAtlasCloudfp4$1.68 in·$3.38 out·1M·98.3% upBaidu Qianfanfp8$1.69 in·$3.38 out·1M·99.2% upBBasetenfp4$1.74 in·$3.48 out·1M·99.3% upPParasailfp8$1.74 in·$3.48 out·1M·99.5% upAzure AI Foundry$1.91 in·$3.83 out·1M·98.8% upNNextBitfp8$2.80 in·$5.50 out·1M·99.9% 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
53%

DeepSeek V4 Pro uses 3.5x more emoji

DeepSeek V4 Pro
Mercury 2.5 Preview
57%Vocabulary65%
18wSentence Length14w
0.52Hedging0.44
3.3Bold4.9
2.3Lists3.3
0.04Emoji0.00
0.45Headings0.79
0.15Transitions0.20
Based on 27 + 26 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

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Model pages

DeepSeek V4 Pro logo
DeepSeek V4 Pro58 outputs, specs and price
Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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