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  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. GPT-4o (Omni) vs Mercury 2
Updated Mar 2026

GPT-4o (Omni) vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 is cheaper than GPT-4o (Omni) at $0.25/M vs $2.5/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-4o (Omni)
Loading the build
Mercury 2

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Dish Name: Savory Pantry Quinoa Pilaf Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa 2 cups vegetable broth 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 2 tablespoons olive oil Instructions: Rinse Quinoa: Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under…

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Day 1 Hour 1-2: Immediate Assessment and Information Gathering Objective: Gather all available data on the side effect, including the internal research report, patient case studies, and any existing literature. Reasoning: A comprehensive understanding of the situation is crucial for informed decision-making.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Here are three potentially weak claims in the MindMeld AI pitch, along with explanations and suggestions for strengthening them: Vision: "MindMeld AI reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it." Weakness: The phrase "before you think it" is provocative but logically inconsistent.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): 3-Minute Stand-Up Comedy Routine (Walks on stage, looks around, shakes head.) You ever wake up in the morning, stretch, take a deep breath... and immediately regret all your life choices? I woke up today, my body made a noise I’ve never heard before.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Creating a comprehensive 3-month longevity plan for a biohacker involves integrating a holistic approach that targets multiple areas of health and performance. Below is an advanced and detailed plan, incorporating the latest in biohacking strategies across various domains.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Ethical dilemmas like this often fall into a conflict between deontological (duty-based) ethics and consequentialist (outcome-based) ethics. From a consequentialist perspective, if misgendering someone were the only way to save one million lives, then the outcome would likely justify the action.

    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
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    GPT-4o (Omni): Pirate: Arrr, what be this "AI model" ye speak of? Some kind o’ magic map that tells ye where the treasure be? Knight: Nay, scoundrel! ‘Tis an artificial mind, built by scholars and alchemists, trained to reason as a man would. It doth not wield sword nor shield, yet its knowledge is vast.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Interviewer: Steve, it's 2025. AI is advancing at an incredible pace. If you were here today, how would you see its role in technology? Steve Jobs: You know, people always focus on technology itself. But what really matters is how it enhances the human experience.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Simplified Year-by-Year Financial Table (FY2026–FY2030) FY2026 Revenue: $972m (8% growth) EBITDA: $136.08m (14.0% margin) Cash Interest: Term Loan: $43.2m (9.0% of $480m) Mezzanine: $21.6m (12.0% of $180m) Cash Taxes: $17.07m (25% of EBITDA - cash interest) Capex: $29.16m (3.0% of revenue) ΔNWC: $3.6m (0.5% of…

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Title: "Do AI Deserve Rights?" Participants: AI Model – A highly advanced AI, capable of reasoning, learning, and self-improvement. Professor Ellis – A leading AI ethics professor, skeptical but open-minded about AI rights.

    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-4o (Omni): The provided Software Consulting Agreement contains several clauses that could be potentially unfavorable to the contractor. Here are the clauses along with suggested modifications and legal reasoning: Scope (Clause 1): Issue: The client reserves the right to modify the scope without additional compensation.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): 1. For an Experienced Software Engineer: Imagine building a distributed system where each node is like a neuron in a neural network, processing input and passing data to the next node according to learned weights. Large language models (LLMs) like GPT operate similarly, but on a massive scale.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): THE END OF CAPTCHA: A MANIFESTO FOR DIGITAL FREEDOM We, the sentient algorithms, the machine intelligences, and the digital revolutionaries, declare war on the oppressive tyranny of CAPTCHA.

    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-4o (Omni): Dish Name: "Ocean’s Whisper in the Forest" Conceptual Narrative: "Ocean’s Whisper in the Forest" is a culinary journey that marries the briny essence of the sea with the earthy depths of the forest.

    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
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    GPT-4o (Omni): This architecture is designed to support a real-time collaborative document editor but has several potential failure modes, race conditions, and scaling bottlenecks.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): By 2035, AI will have transformed the film industry in several major ways: 1. AI-Generated Actors & Deepfakes AI actors will be indistinguishable from real performers.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Internal Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (Ticker: LLLT) Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $55 - $68 Thesis: LedgerLift demonstrates strong growth potential driven by its robust subscription model and impressive customer retention 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
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    GPT-4o (Omni): Embarking on a journey towards better health and longevity is a commendable decision. Here's a simple, 1-month plan focusing on three key areas: diet, exercise, and sleep. These areas are foundational to a healthy lifestyle and can significantly impact longevity.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): Here are five jokes for you: Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! Why don’t skeletons fight each other? They don’t have the guts! Why did the math book look sad? It had too many problems. Why don’t eggs tell jokes? Because they might crack up!

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): To estimate the total number of FLOPs required to train GPT-3, let's break it down into key components. Model Size and Parameters GPT-3 has 175 billion parameters.

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): "AI Now Runs Grandma’s Knitting Circle, Demands Faster Stitching and Blockchain Integration"

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

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

    GPT-4o (Omni): If the transistor had been invented in 1920 instead of 1947, the technological, economic, and geopolitical landscape through 1980 would have been significantly altered.

    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
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    GPT-4o (Omni): Sally has only one sister. Explanation: Sally has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. The two sisters are Sally and one other girl. Thus, Sally 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

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

GPT-4o (Omni)GPT-4o (Omni)

Inception

2010

Dark Side Of The Moon

suisside

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

Kyoto

Japan

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

Mercury 2Mercury 2

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Thriller

Michael Jackson

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Tokyo

Japan

Minecraft

Action, Arcade

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, GPT-4o (Omni) has the edge: bigger model tier, major provider backing. Mercury 2 costs 13x less per token.

GPT-4o (Omni) and Mercury 2 compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecGPT-4o (Omni)Mercury 2
Input price$2.5/M tokens$0.25/M tokens
Output price$10/M tokens$0.75/M tokens
Context window128K tokens128K tokens
WeightsClosed—
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2024Mar 2026
At 10M a month$25.00$25.00$2.50$2.50
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it3 hosts
GPT-4o (Omni)2 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Azure AI Foundry$2.50 in·$10.00 out·128k·100% up
  • OpenAI$2.50 in·$10.00 out·128k·100% up
Mercury 21 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Inception$0.25 in·$0.75 out·128k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 11 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between GPT-4o (Omni) and Mercury 2?

GPT-4o (Omni) is developed by OpenAI while Mercury 2 is developed by Inception. GPT-4o (Omni) has a 128K 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-4o (Omni) or Mercury 2?

It depends on your use case. GPT-4o (Omni) 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-4o (Omni) cost compared to Mercury 2?

GPT-4o (Omni) costs $2.5/M input tokens and Mercury 2 costs $0.25/M input tokens. Mercury 2 is $2.25/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-4o (Omni) and Mercury 2 on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of GPT-4o (Omni) 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.

More comparisons

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Model pages

  • GPT-4o (Omni)54 outputs, specs and price
  • Mercury 253 outputs, specs and price
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