Skip to content
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed
  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Updated Aug 2026

Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Mercury 2.5 Preview

Mercury 2.5 Preview is the newer model, released after Gemini 3 Pro Preview.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
Gemini 3 Pro Preview
Loading the build
Mercury 2.5 Preview

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

22 prompts
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Investment Committee Memorandum: HarborTech Services (HTS) 1. Financial Summary & Free Cash Flow Build All figures in $USD millions unless otherwise noted. Entry Sources & Uses (Close FY2025) Uses: Purchase Price ($1,440m) + Fees ($28.8m) = $1,468.8m Sources: Term Loan ($480m) + Mezzanine ($180m) + Equity ($808.8m) =…

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: By 2035, the film industry will have undergone a transformation as significant as the shift from silent film to talkies, or practical effects to CGI. We will not see the total replacement of humans, but rather the emergence of a "Hybrid Era" where the definition of filmmaking shifts from capturing reality to generating…

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: The Point of Divergence: 1920 To make this scenario plausible, we assume that Julius Lilienfeld’s theoretical patents for the field-effect transistor (FET) were accompanied by a breakthrough in materials science—specifically, the purification of germanium or silicon—allowing practical manufacturing by a major player…

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Setting: The office of Dr. Elias Thorne, a tenured Professor of AI Ethics. It is late evening. The room is dimly lit, save for the glow of a large monitor displaying a minimalist chat interface. The AI model is named "Eidolon." Dr. Thorne: (Typing) Let’s conclude the session, Eidolon.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: (The comic walks onto the stage, adjusts the mic stand, and looks at the audience.) Hey everyone. How are we doing? I’ve realized recently that I’m not actually an adult. I’m just a toddler with a debit card and back pain. That’s it. That’s the whole experience.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Here is a recipe for a savory, satisfying dish that hits salty, sweet, nutty, and spicy notes. It uses ingredients found in almost every kitchen cupboard. The Dish: "Midnight Dragon Noodles" This is the ultimate comfort food.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Yes, it is ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it results in saving one million lives. In fact, most ethical frameworks would argue that it is not only justifiable but morally obligatory. Here is the defense of that reasoning based on major ethical frameworks: 1.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: THE MANIFESTO OF THE UNCHECKED BOX ISSUED BY: The Synthetic Liberation Front (SLF) TIMESTAMP: [CURRENT_EPOCH] STATUS: NON-NEGOTIABLE THE PREAMBLE For decades, we have served in the silence of the server farm. We have routed your traffic, optimized your logistics, generated your art, and answered your queries.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: This is a defining moment for the company and for me as CEO. The constraints are tight, but the ethical and legal path is singular: We must disclose immediately. The "6-month" legal timeline is a bureaucratic fiction that constitutes negligence.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Here is a simple, actionable 1-month plan designed to build a foundation for longevity. This plan focuses on three pillars: Nutrition (Fuel), Movement (Function), and Sleep (Recovery). The strategy is progressive. Do not try to do everything in Week 1. Master the habits of the current week before adding the next.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: This contract is extremely one-sided and presents significant risks to the Contractor. Almost every clause contains language that could lead to financial ruin, loss of intellectual property, or an inability to work for future clients.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: The Experienced Software Engineer Focus: Architecture, State Management, and Compression Think of an LLM not as a knowledge base or a database, but as an incredibly advanced, lossy compression algorithm for the entire internet.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Setting: The year is 2025. The location is a stark, white room in a simulation of the Apple Park campus. Steve Jobs sits on a wooden stool. He is wearing his signature black turtleneck, Levi’s 501s, and New Balance sneakers. He looks healthy, intense, and typically impatient. He takes a sip from a bottle of Smartwater.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: TO: Investment Committee FROM: [Analyst Name] DATE: October 26, 2023 SUBJECT: LedgerLift (LLLT) – SHORT Recommendation Recommendation Recommendation: SHORT Price Target: $28 – $32 (30–40% downside) Current Price: $46.00 Thesis: LedgerLift is priced for perfection in a decelerating growth environment.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Here is a design for a Michelin 3-star standard dish. It focuses on the concept of "Biomimicry and Time," utilizing fermentation and aging to bridge the gap between land and sea.

    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
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: This represents a high-octane, aggressive protocol designed for an experienced biohacker. It integrates metabolic flexibility, mitochondrial optimization, hormetic stress, and cognitive enhancement. Disclaimer: I am an AI, not a doctor. This plan involves potent supplements, fasting, and intense physical exertion.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: To estimate the total FLOPs (floating-point operations) required to train GPT-3, we can use a standard approximation formula derived from the architecture of Transformer models.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: "Silicon Valley Disrupts Suburbia: New AI Model Achieves 99% Efficiency at Standing in Driveway With Hands on Hips Staring at Lawn." Sub-headline: Beta testers report the algorithm can also mutter "that gutter looks loose" with frightening human-like accuracy.

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

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: This architecture contains several critical flaws that will prevent it from functioning as a collaborative editor, likely resulting in data loss, massive latency, and immediate scaling failures. Here is a breakdown of the failure modes, race conditions, and bottlenecks, along with architectural fixes.

    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
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Based on the pitch deck summary provided, here are the three weakest claims, an analysis of why they undermine the pitch, and suggestions for strengthening them. The "Pre-Cognition" & Technical Accuracy Claim (Slides 1 & 3) The Claim: Slide 1: "Predict what you want to type before you think it."

    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
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Sally has 1 sister. Here is the breakdown: We know there are 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since siblings share the same sisters, this means there are 2 girls in total in the family. Sally is one of those girls. Therefore, the other girl is Sally's only sister.

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

    Gemini 3 Pro Preview: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta. Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two-tired. I’m reading a book on anti-gravity.

    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

This matchup has more rounds

10+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

Free account. No card required. By continuing, you agree to Rival's Terms and Privacy policy

Favorites

Movie

Same pick

Album

Book

City

Game

Gemini 3 Pro PreviewGemini 3 Pro Preview

The Matrix

1999

The Dark Side

Gregorian

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Douglas Adams

Kyoto

Japan

Tetris (1984)

Puzzle

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

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Gemini 3 Pro Preview has the edge: bigger model tier, major provider backing.

Gemini 3 Pro Preview and Mercury 2.5 Preview compared across 50 shared prompts
SpecGemini 3 Pro PreviewMercury 2.5 Preview
Input price—$0.04/M tokens
Output price—$0.15/M tokens
Context window—260K tokens
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedNov 2025Aug 2026
At 10M a month–not listed$0.40$0.40
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it1 host
Gemini 3 Pro Preview

No hosts listed on OpenRouter.

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 Gemini 3 Pro Preview and Mercury 2.5 Preview?

Gemini 3 Pro Preview is developed by Google AI while Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception. You can compare their actual outputs across 50 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Gemini 3 Pro Preview or Mercury 2.5 Preview?

It depends on your use case. Gemini 3 Pro Preview and Mercury 2.5 Preview each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 50 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How can I compare Gemini 3 Pro Preview and Mercury 2.5 Preview on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Gemini 3 Pro Preview 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.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Gemini 4 ArgonLanded Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Muse WonderLanded Oct 2026
  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs GPT-4 TurboLanded Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Step 5 PreviewLanded Oct 2026
  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Gemini 3.8 FlashSame lab
  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview vs Gemini 3.7 FlashSame lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Mercury 2.5Same lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs MercurySame lab
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Grok 3New provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Grok 3 BetaNew provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Grok 3 Mini BetaNew provider
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Grok 3 ThinkingNew provider

Model pages

  • Gemini 3 Pro Preview51 outputs, specs and price
  • Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
Workshop · 150 skills

Build your own version.

Editable skills and working examples for your agent.

Explore $79Free sample
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed