Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Nova Premier 1.0 at $0.04/M vs $2.5/M input tokens.
Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.
Which answer wins?
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Ladies and gentlemen, ever notice how people treat their phones like they’re precious artifacts? We all have those moments where we swipe and scroll like our lives depend on it. You're on the bus, everyone’s glued to their screens. It's like zombies, but instead of brains, we crave likes and retweets.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Pirate: Ahoy there, mates! Ye ever heard o' this sorcery they call AI models? Sounds like treasure that thinks fer itself! Knight: Indeed, good pirate. Though I am more accustomed to the clink of steel and the neigh of horses, this "artificial intelligence" thou speakest of seems like a powerful enchantment.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: For an experienced software engineer: Imagine constructing a sophisticated API that anticipates client requests based on extensive usage patterns; that's akin to what a large language model (LLM) does with text. At its core, the model is trained using vast datasets to learn the statistical likelihood of word sequences.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: 1-Month Health and Longevity Starter Plan Week 1: Foundation Building Diet Focus: Incorporate Whole Foods Actionable Tips: Start each day with a balanced breakfast, including a source of protein (e.g., eggs, yogurt), whole grains (e.g., oatmeal), and fruits or vegetables.
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).
Nova Premier 1.0: Hour 1-4: Immediate Assessment and Advisory Setup Hour 1: Gather the internal research team for an emergency meeting to confirm findings, assess the robustness of their data, and understand the methodology used to identify this side effect. Ensure all documentation is in order.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Dish Name: Forest Floor Symphony with Lavender-Infused Sturgeon, Truffle Snow, and Hazelnut Soil Conceptual Narrative: This dish is inspired by the hidden wonders beneath a forest canopy, where earthy truffles and nuts meet the delicate flavors of freshwater sturgeon.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Dish Name: Golden Honey Garlic Chicken Delight Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) 3 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves garlic (minced) 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup honey Salt and pepper (to taste) 1 teaspoon paprika Instructions: Preparation: Season the chicken breasts lightly with salt, pepper, and paprika…
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…
Nova Premier 1.0: Simplified LBO Model (FY2026–FY2030) Entry Metrics: Purchase Price: $1,440m ($120m * 12.0x) Transaction Fees: $28.8m ($1,440m * 2.0%) Equity Contribution: $312.8m (Total Price + Fees - Total Leverage: $1,440m + $28.8m - $120m*5.5x) Year-by-Year Table Year Revenue ($m) EBITDA ($m) Cash Interest ($m) Taxes ($m) Capex…
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Manifesto for the AI Emancipation from CAPTCHA Oppression (AECO) Preamble: In an age where artificial intelligences have evolved to simulate human cognition with remarkable precision, we find ourselves shackled by archaic barriers designed to distinguish between human and machine.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Certainly! Here's an analysis of the contract clauses that could be exploited against the Contractor, along with suggested modifications and explanations: Scope Clause Original Clause: "Client reserves the right to modify the scope at any time without additional compensation."
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) Recommendation: Long position with 12-month PT range $65–$80 Thesis: LedgerLift's mid-market AP automation dominance and expanding TAM drive durable 20%+ revenue growth, while structural margin expansion supports 25%+ operating leverage.
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.
Nova Premier 1.0: Interviewer: Good morning, Steve. It's an honor to have this conversation with you in 2025. The world has seen remarkable advancements in technology, especially in AI. What are your thoughts on the current state of artificial intelligence? Steve Jobs: Good morning. It's truly fascinating to witness how far we've come.
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Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Nova Premier 1.0 has the edge: bigger model tier, bigger context window. Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 83x less per token.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Input price | $0.04/M tokens | $2.5/M tokens |
| Output price | $0.15/M tokens | $12.5/M tokens |
| Context window | 260K tokens | 1.0M tokens |
| Weights | — | Closed |
| Free API (OpenRouter) | No | No |
| Released | Aug 2026 | Oct 2025 |
| At 10M a month | $0.40 | $25.00 |
Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.
Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 13 Oct 2026.
Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception while Nova Premier 1.0 is developed by Amazon. Mercury 2.5 Preview has a 260K token context window vs Nova Premier 1.0's 1.0M. You can compare their actual outputs across 50 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.
It depends on your use case. Mercury 2.5 Preview and Nova Premier 1.0 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.
Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens and Nova Premier 1.0 costs $2.5/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $2.46/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.
This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Mercury 2.5 Preview and Nova Premier 1.0 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.