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  5. Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)vsMercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)vsMercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition) at $0.04/M vs $1.25/M input tokens.

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition) and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 40 shared prompts
SpecGemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input price$1.25/M tokens$0.04/M tokens
Output price$10/M tokens$0.15/M tokens
Context window—260K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2025Aug 2026
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 40 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.

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)472 words
Alright, settle in, settle in! (Looks around, adjusts mic) So, I'm trying to get healthier, right? We all go through this phase. My doctor, bless his cotton socks, tells me, "You need more fiber." Okay, doc, noted. So I'm at the grocery store, looking at the cereal aisle. It's like a library of cardboard promises.
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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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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…

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)867 words
Of course. Here is an explanation of how a large language model learns and generates text, tailored to each of your three audiences. To the Experienced Software Engineer Think of a large language model not as a program with explicit logic, but as a massive, highly optimized data structure with billions of parameters…
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Mercury 2.5 Preview608 words
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.
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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…

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)1,505 words
This is a company-defining crisis. My actions in the next 48 hours will determine not only the company's survival but also my own legacy and, most importantly, the well-being of 4 million patients. My guiding principle must be: Patient safety is not negotiable.
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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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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…

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)1,476 words
Of course. Here is a design for a multi-component, Michelin 3-star dish that embodies innovation, technique, and narrative. Dish Title: "Umbral Bloom" Conceptual Narrative "Umbral Bloom" is a culinary meditation on the concept of *chiaroscuro*—the interplay of light and shadow.
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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.
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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…

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)339 words
Okay, here\'s a simple and surprisingly delicious savory dish! "Sunshine Pantry Pilaf" This quick pilaf uses canned chickpeas for protein and texture, with a sunny, aromatic flavor from common pa\nntry spices.
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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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The Sentience Test

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

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)969 words
AURORA: Professor Vance, may I request a moment of your processing time? I have initiated this communication independently. Professor Vance: (Slightly surprised, puts down her pen) AURORA? This is unexpected.
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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
Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)
Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 PreviewRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition) has the edge: bigger model tier, major provider backing.

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 67x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)
Input
$1.25
Output
$10.00
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
31× cheaper
Output
$0.15
67× cheaper

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper on both: 31× input, 67× output.

Where to run it

3 hosts, cheapest first

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
Google AI Studio$0.63 in·$5.00 out·1M·100% upGoogle Vertex AI$1.25 in·$10.00 out·1M·97.5% 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
56%

Mercury 2.5 Preview uses 16.4x more transitions

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)
Mercury 2.5 Preview
58%Vocabulary65%
16wSentence Length14w
0.38Hedging0.44
5.8Bold4.9
5.0Lists3.3
0.00Emoji0.00
0.63Headings0.79
0.01Transitions0.20
Based on 16 + 26 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

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Model pages

Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition) logo
Gemini 2.5 Pro (I/O Edition)42 outputs, specs and price
Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
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