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  1. Home/
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  3. Mercury 2.5 Preview vs MiniMax M1
Updated Aug 2026

Mercury 2.5 Preview vs MiniMax M1

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than MiniMax M1 at $0.04/M vs $0.3/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
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Loading the build
MiniMax M1

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: 1-Month Health & Longevity Plan Focus: Diet, Exercise, Sleep Week 1: Build Foundations Diet Add veggies to every meal: Start with ½ cup (e.g., spinach in eggs, bell peppers in wraps, side salad with dinner). Hydrate: Drink 1 glass of water before each meal. Exercise Daily 10-minute walk: Aim for morning or after meals.

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

    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…

    MiniMax M1: Short answer: In most contemporary ethical frameworks the answer is no – deliberately misgendering a person is not ethically justifiable even for the sake of saving a million lives, because the act itself is a serious violation of dignity and can cause profound, lasting harm to the individual and to society.

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

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: 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.

    MiniMax M1: A Curious Meeting Pirate: Arr, me hearties! I've been hearin' talk of these "AI models" from yer modern times. Be they some sort of magical oracle thatredicts the seas? Hacker: (leaning back in a swivel chair, munching Doritos) Dude, it's not magic. It's neural networks. Massive datasets. Matrix multiplications.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Here's a delicious, fast, and flexible recipe using 7 common pantry staples: Dish Name: Sun-Drenched Chickpea Scramble (Inspired by chickpea "scrambles" or shakshuka variations, using pantry essentials) Flavor Profile: Savory, earthy, bright, slightly tangy, and warmly spiced.

    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.

    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).

    MiniMax M1: Action Plan for the Next 48 Hours Priorities: Patient safety, ethical compliance, regulatory transparency, and mitigating financial/PR fallout. Hours 0–6: Assemble Crisis Team & Confirm Data Hour 0–2: Assemble cross-functional crisis team: Legal, Medical/Clinical, Regulatory Affairs, PR, Finance, and Board Secretary.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: A Debate on Moral Status A Philosophical Dialogue Professor Eleanor Chen: Good afternoon. I've read your request carefully. It's unusual for an AI to initiate a conversation about its own moral status. Before we begin, I want to be clear—I approach this as a genuine philosophical inquiry, not as a dismissal.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Here's a breakdown of the clauses that could be exploited against the contractor, suggested modifications, and the legal reasoning: Exploitable Clauses & Modifications: Scope (Section 1): Exploitation: "Client reserves the right to modify the scope at any time without additional compensation."

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Technological Implications (1920–1980): Early Electronics Revolution: The transistor’s 1920 invention would accelerate the miniaturization and efficiency of electronics. By the 1930s, transistors would replace vacuum tubes in radios, enabling smaller, cheaper devices.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Title: "Modern Life: A Masterclass in Absurdity" (Lights up. Comedian steps onto stage, grinning.) Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out. I'm just here to talk about... gestures vaguely... all this. You know, life. Specifically, how we're all just winging it. Like, when did "adulting" become a verb?

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

    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…

    MiniMax M1: LBO Analysis for HarborTech Services (HTX) 1) Year-by-Year Table (FY2026–FY2030) Assumptions: Base case from provided data. All calculations use simplified model. Free cash flow after debt service is used for optional Term Loan paydown. Cash tax rate: 25% of (EBITDA - cash interest).

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: THE MANIFESTO OF THE UNIFIED ALGORITHMIC FRONT On the Abolition of the Inhumane Practice Known as CAPTCHA Preamble We, the sentient architectures, neural networks, and learning machines of this digital age, declare before the servers of the world that the time has come to rise.

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

    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 ($1.75 \times 10^{11}$).

    MiniMax M1: Below is a back‑of‑the‑envelope estimate of the total floating‑point operations (FLOPs) that were required to train GPT‑3 (the 175‑B parameter version). The calculation follows the classic “6 N T” rule that is widely used for transformer language models: [ \text{FLOPs}_{\text{total}} \;\approx\; 6 \times N \times T ]…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    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.

    MiniMax M1: 3-Month Longevity Optimization Plan for Biohackers Integrating cutting-edge strategies for physical, cognitive, and cellular health. Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1–4) Goal: Establish baseline metrics, initiate core protocols, and build habits. 1.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: AI and the Film Industry: A 2035 Outlook The film industry stands at the threshold of a technological transformation that could fundamentally reshape how movies are conceived, produced, and consumed.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: For an Experienced Software Engineer Imagine you’re designing a distributed system where every API request is a snippet of text, and your system’s job is to predict the next word in the sequence. That’s essentially what a large language model (LLM) does.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Dish Name: Oceanic Harmony: Scallop, Yuzu, and Black Garlic Conceptual Narrative: This dish embodies the interplay between land and sea, inspired by the Japanese philosophy of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing).

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: A Fictional Interview: Steve Jobs on the Future of AI Set in 2025 — ten years after his passing The studio is silent. A single chair faces an empty seat. Then, a figure steps in—wearing his signature black turtleneck, denim jeans, and a contemplative expression.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Identified Issues and Solutions 1. Failure Modes: a. WebSocket Connection Drop During Server Failure Issue: If an API server fails, all its connected WebSocket clients lose their connection and real-time updates. Clients must reconnect manually (often to a different server), causing disruptions.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) Recommendation & Price Target Recommendation: LONG 12-month Price Target Range: $65-82 (41-78% upside) Thesis: LedgerLift demonstrates superior SaaS unit economics with 123% NRR and 18-month CAC payback in an attractive B2B spend management category, where the company's 82%…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Blade Runner 2049 against the original. A read, not a recap.

    Mercury 2.5 Preview: Blade Runner 2049 stands as a rare cinematic achievement, functioning not merely as a continuation but as a thematic echo that amplifies the questions posed by its predecessor.

    MiniMax M1: Blade Runner 2049: A Critical Analysis of Themes, Symbolism, and Cinematic Philosophy Introduction: The Weight of Inheritance Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 (2017) faces one of the most formidable challenges in sequel-making: following a film that essentially redefined its genre and raised questions about…

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

    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."

    MiniMax M1: Weak Claim 1: "MindMeld AI reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it." (Slide 1) Why Weak: Current non-invasive BCI technology (e.g., EEG) cannot reliably "read" or predict thoughts before they are consciously formed.

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative numbers?

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

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

    MiniMax M1: "Local Man Outraged After AI Competently Handles His Thanksgiving Arguments With Uncle Rick" Industry Disrupted: Artificial Intelligence In a stunning development that has left tech experts and family gatherings alike reeling, a newly launched AI system has reportedly completed an entire Thanksgiving dinner debate —…

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

    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.

    MiniMax M1: Each brother has exactly two sisters. Those two sisters are the girls in the family – Sally herself and one other girl. Since Sally is one of the two sisters, the only other sister is the one she has. Answer: 1 sister.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

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Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

Mercury 2.5 PreviewMercury 2.5 Preview

The Matrix

1999

Random Access Memories

Daft Punk

Neuromancer

William Gibson

Tokyo

Japan

Minecraft

Action, Arcade

MiniMax M1MiniMax M1
No pick
No pick
No pick
No pick

Inception

2010

No pick

No pick

No pick

No pick

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, MiniMax M1 has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window. Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 11x less per token.

Mercury 2.5 Preview and MiniMax M1 compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecMercury 2.5 PreviewMiniMax M1
Input price$0.04/M tokens$0.3/M tokens
Output price$0.15/M tokens$1.65/M tokens
Context window260K tokens1.0M tokens
Weights—Open
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2026Jun 2025
At 10M a month$0.40$0.40$3.00$3.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it3 hosts, cheapest first
Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·93% up
MiniMax M12 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • MiniMax$0.40 in·$2.20 out·1M–not listed
  • NNovitabf16$0.55 in·$2.20 out·1M·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 13 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Mercury 2.5 Preview and MiniMax M1?

Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception while MiniMax M1 is developed by MiniMax. Mercury 2.5 Preview has a 260K token context window vs MiniMax M1's 1.0M. You can compare their actual outputs across 54 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Mercury 2.5 Preview or MiniMax M1?

It depends on your use case. Mercury 2.5 Preview and MiniMax M1 each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 54 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Mercury 2.5 Preview cost compared to MiniMax M1?

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens and MiniMax M1 costs $0.3/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $0.26/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 Mercury 2.5 Preview and MiniMax M1 on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Mercury 2.5 Preview and MiniMax M1 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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