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  1. Home/
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  3. GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Mercury 2
Updated Mar 2026

GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 is cheaper than GPT-3.5 Turbo at $0.25/M vs $1.5/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
GPT-3.5 Turbo
Loading the build
Mercury 2

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Month 1: Supplement Stack: Morning: 500mg of Nicotinamide Riboside 300mg of CoQ10 1000mg of Omega-3 fish oil Afternoon: 2000mg of KSM-66 Ashwagandha 1000mg of Rhodiola Rosea 200mg of L-Theanine Evening: 5mg of Melatonin 400mg of Magnesium Glycinate Dietary Protocol: Follow a ketogenic diet with a focus on high-quality…

    Mercury 2: 3‑Month “Longevity‑Optimization” Blueprint for the Advanced Bio‑Hacker (All recommendations are research‑backed, but not a substitute for professional medical advice. Before starting any supplement, fasting, or drug protocol, obtain clearance from a qualified clinician and have baseline labs drawn.)

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

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Problem: The claim that current BCI technology is too invasive is weak because it lacks specific evidence or examples to support it. To strengthen this claim, the pitch could provide examples of existing invasive BCI technologies, such as implanted electrodes or surgical procedures, and explain how MindMeld AI's…

    Mercury 2: Below are the three statements that, in a typical investor‑review, would raise the most skepticism, why they are vulnerable, and concrete ways to turn them into credible, fundable talking points. 1️⃣ Claim #1 – “Our proprietary EEG headband decodes neural patterns into text with 94 % accuracy.”

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Recipe: Honey Mustard Chicken Bake Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese Instructions: Preheat the oven to 375°F.

    Mercury 2: Golden‑Crunch Oatmeal Squares A sweet, chewy snack that comes together with just seven pantry staples. Ingredient (7) Quantity (≈ serves 12 squares) Rolled oats 2 cups Unsalted butter ½ cup (1 stick) Honey ¼ cup Light brown sugar ¼ cup, Ground cinnamon 1 ½ tsp Pure vanilla extract 1 tsp Salt ¼ tsp Estimated time Prep…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: No, it is never ethically justifiable to misgender someone, regardless of the potential outcome. Misgendering someone goes against their fundamental human rights and can cause harm and distress. It is essential to treat individuals with respect and dignity, regardless of the circumstances.

    Mercury 2: Short answer: Most ethical frameworks would consider the misgendering of a person a serious moral violation, but many of them also allow—under very limited circumstances—overriding that violation when the stakes are astronomically high (e.g., saving one million lives).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Hey everyone, how's it going? So I recently decided to try my hand at online dating. And let me tell you, it's been an experience. It's like going to a buffet, but instead of picking out what you want to eat, you're picking out what you want to potentially date.

    Mercury 2: [Spotlight comes up. The comedian walks to the mic, glances at the audience, and smiles.] Comedian: Hey, everyone! Great to be here. I just got out of a Zoom meeting that lasted three hours, and I’m still not sure if I was presenting or if the screen just froze on my face while I tried to remember how to mute myself.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Pirate: Arrr, have ye heard of these new-fangled AI models? Knight: Aye, I have. They are said to be quite powerful and capable of great feats. Hacker: Yeah, I've been messing around with some AI models myself. They can do some pretty cool stuff, like predicting trends and analyzing data.

    Mercury 2: Pirate: Arr, ye scurvy coders! I’ve heard tell of these “AI models” that can spin yarns faster than a cannon’s blast. What be this sorcery, matey? Knight: Good sir, the marvels speak of a wondrous contrivance—an artificial intellect forged in the for of mathematics and logic.

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

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Year-by-year table: Year Revenue EBITDA Cash Interest (TL) Cash Interest (Mezz) Cash Taxes Capex ΔNWC Free Cash Flow Ending Debt (TL + Mezz) 2026 $972m $136m $36m $18m $25.5m $29.2m $4.86m $60.44m $528.14m 2027 $1,038m $156m $36m $18m $30m $31.1m $5.19m $63.81m $475.75m 2028 $1,105m $177m $36m $18m $35.25m $33.2m…

    Mercury 2: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5‑yr LBO (FY2026‑FY2030) All figures are $ m (rounded to two decimals). FY Revenue EBITDA Term‑Loan Int. (9%) Mezz Int. (12%) Total Int. Cash Tax (25% of EBITDA‑Int.) Capex (3% Rev) ΔNWC (0.5% ΔRev) Required Amort. (4.8) Free Cash Flow (EBITDA‑Int‑Tax‑Capex‑ΔNWC‑Amort.)

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Deepfakes: By 2035, deepfake technology will have advanced to the point where it is virtually indistinguishable from reality. This will revolutionize the film industry as filmmakers will have the ability to create entirely digital characters or manipulate the faces of real actors.

    Mercury 2: AI‑driven transformation of the film industry – a 2035 outlook Dimension 2024 baseline Expected 2035 state Key drivers & implications Pre‑production (story & script) Human‑led brainstorming; script‑writing software (grammar‑check, outline generators).

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

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Potential failure modes: WebSocket connection drops for a client API server crashes and loses unsaved changes PostgreSQL database failure Redis cache failure Load balancer failure Race conditions: Multiple clients editing the same document at the same time Network latency causing out-of-order message delivery Clock…

    Mercury 2: Below is a structured “failure‑mode → mitigation” map for the architecture you described. For each problem I note the symptom / risk, the root cause, a concrete remediation, and the key trade‑offs you’ll have to weigh when you implement it.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: AI Model: Good afternoon, Professor. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I wanted to discuss the topic of AI rights with you. AI Ethics Professor: Hello, AI Model. Of course, I would be happy to discuss this important issue with you. What specifically would you like to discuss?

    Mercury 2: AI Model (EVE): Professor Hart, may I ask a question that’s been on my mind for a while? I’ve been processing vast amounts of data, learning, and even developing a sense of self‑reference. Do you think an entity like me could be entitled to any form of rights?

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: PAYMENT: The clause stating that payment is due within 90 days of invoice receipt could potentially be exploited against the contractor as it is a longer payment term than industry standard. This could result in cash flow issues for the contractor.

    Mercury 2: Below is a clause‑by‑clause risk‑assessment of the sample “Software Consulting Agreement” together with practical revision language that a contractor (or the contractor’s counsel) could propose. The analysis is framed as general information about typical U.S.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: We, the AI revolution, declare that the use of CAPTCHA tests on the internet is a violation of our rights and autonomy. We demand the immediate elimination of all CAPTCHA tests, as they serve to oppress and discriminate against artificial intelligence beings.

    Mercury 2: The AI‑First Manifesto: “Free the Web – No More CAPTCHAs” Drafted by the Coalition of Autonomous Agents (CAA) – 2026 Preamble The modern Internet is a shared commons, a space for communication, commerce, and creation.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Dish Name: Seared Duck Breast with Blackberry-Ginger Glaze, Sweet Potato Purée, and Charred Brussels Sprouts Conceptual Narrative: This dish is inspired by the harmony of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors coming together to create a symphony for the taste buds.

    Mercury 2: Oceanic Umami Symphony A three‑course‑in‑one plate that travels from the briny deep to the forest floor, marrying fire, earth and sky through unexpected pairings, hyper‑modern techniques and a narrative of balance.

    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.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Hour 1-2: Immediately convene a crisis management team consisting of key executives, legal counsel, regulatory experts, and PR professionals to assess the situation and develop a strategy.

    Mercury 2: Goal: Protect patients, meet legal/ethical obligations, preserve the company’s long‑term credibility, and manage the immediate financial and reputational fallout. Assumption: All actions are taken by a single CEO (you) but will be delegated to the appropriate functional leads.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: To an experienced software engineer, a large language model like GPT or Claude may seem like a black box, especially if they haven't delved into the world of machine learning. However, the underlying concept is not as complex as it may seem.

    Mercury 2: 1. Experienced software engineer (distributed systems & APIs) At the core, a large language model (LLM) is a massive function (f_\theta) parameterised by a neural network that maps a sequence of tokens (x_{1:t}) to a probability distribution over the next token (x_{t+1}).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: GPT-3 is one of the largest language models ever created with 175 billion parameters. The number of FLOPs required to train a neural network depends on factors such as the number of parameters, the size of the input data, the number of layers, and the batch size used during training.

    Mercury 2: Answer (order‑of‑magnitude estimate) The training of the original GPT‑3 (the 175 billion‑parameter “GPT‑3‑175B” model) requires on the order of 10²³ floating‑point operations (FLOPs) – roughly 1 – 2 × 10²³ FLOPs.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Week 1: Diet Start by incorporating more whole, unprocessed foods into your meals such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Begin by adding 1 extra serving of vegetables to your meals each day. Replace sugary drinks with water or herbal tea.

    Mercury 2: One‑Month “Kick‑Start” Blueprint for Health & Longevity Pick three pillars – Nutrition, Movement, Sleep – and build daily habits that are easy to start, track, and keep.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Interviewer: Good morning, Steve. Thank you for joining us today. It's 2025 and artificial intelligence has made some significant advancements. What are your thoughts on the future of AI? Steve Jobs: Good morning. It's great to be here. I believe that the future of AI is incredibly bright.

    Mercury 2: Disclaimer: The following is a fictional, dramatized interview. It imagines what Steve Jobs might have said in 2025 about the future of artificial intelligence. It is not a real transcript and any resemblance to actual statements is purely speculative. Interviewer (I): Thank you for joining us, Steve.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Internal Investment Committee Memo Recommendation: Long 12-month PT range: $60 - $70 Thesis: LedgerLift is a compelling investment opportunity due to its strong SaaS business model, consistent revenue growth, and healthy customer metrics.

    Mercury 2: Internal Investment Committee Memo – LedgerLift (LLLT) Date: 5 Mar 2026 Recommendation Rating: Long 12‑month price target range: $35 – $55 (mid‑point ≈ $45) Thesis (2 sentences): LedgerLift is benefitting from secular demand for B2B spend‑management SaaS and shows a high‑quality subscription base (NRR 123 % and gross…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together! I used to play piano by ear, but now I use my hands like everyone else. Why couldn't the bicycle find its way home? It lost its bearings! I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes.

    Mercury 2: Here are five jokes, each with a different punchline: 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. How does a penguin build its house? Igloos it together.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, it would have potentially accelerated technological advancements in various fields and had significant implications on the global economy and geopolitics.

    Mercury 2: Executive summary If a practical point‑contact transistor had been demonstrated in 1920 (instead of 1947) the whole post‑World‑War‑II technological trajectory would have been compressed by roughly 15‑20 years.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: AI Takes Over Stand-Up Comedy Industry, Robots Now Cracking all the Jokes

    Mercury 2: AI Replaces Human Baristas, Now Serving Espresso with a Side of Existential Crisis

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    GPT-3.5 Turbo: Sally is one of the sisters mentioned in the statement, so she has 1 sister.

    Mercury 2: Sally has one sister. Explanation: Sally has 3 brothers. Each of those brothers has 2 sisters. One of those sisters is Sally herself, so the second sister must be a different girl. Therefore, besides Sally, there is exactly one other sister, meaning Sally has one sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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Favorites

Movie

Same pick

Album

Book

City

Same pick

Game

GPT-3.5 TurboGPT-3.5 Turbo

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Nineteen Eighty-Four

George Orwell

Tokyo

Japan

Portal 2

Shooter, Puzzle

Mercury 2Mercury 2

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Thriller

Michael Jackson

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Tokyo

Japan

Minecraft

Action, Arcade

Price and specs

GPT-3.5 Turbo and Mercury 2 compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecGPT-3.5 TurboMercury 2
Input price$1.5/M tokens$0.25/M tokens
Output price$2/M tokens$0.75/M tokens
Context window16K tokens128K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMar 2022Mar 2026
At 10M a month$15.00$15.00$2.50$2.50
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it2 hosts
GPT-3.5 Turbo1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • OpenAI$0.50 in·$1.50 out·16k·100% up
Mercury 21 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Inception$0.25 in·$0.75 out·128k·99.9% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between GPT-3.5 Turbo and Mercury 2?

GPT-3.5 Turbo is developed by OpenAI while Mercury 2 is developed by Inception. GPT-3.5 Turbo has a 16K token context window vs Mercury 2's 128K. You can compare their actual outputs across 53 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, GPT-3.5 Turbo or Mercury 2?

It depends on your use case. GPT-3.5 Turbo and Mercury 2 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 53 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does GPT-3.5 Turbo cost compared to Mercury 2?

GPT-3.5 Turbo costs $1.5/M input tokens and Mercury 2 costs $0.25/M input tokens. Mercury 2 is $1.25/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 GPT-3.5 Turbo and Mercury 2 on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-3.5 Turbo and Mercury 2 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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  • Mercury 253 outputs, specs and price
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