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  5. Mercury 2.5 Previewvso3 Mini
Updated Aug 2026

Mercury 2.5 Previewvso3 Mini

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than o3 Mini at $0.04/M vs $1.1/M input tokens.

Mercury 2.5 Preview and o3 Mini compared across 53 shared prompts
SpecMercury 2.5 Previewo3 Mini
Input price$0.04/M tokens$1.1/M tokens
Output price$0.15/M tokens$4.4/M tokens
Context window260K tokens64K tokens
Weights—Closed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2026Dec 2024
Side by side

Same prompt, both answers

Opening lines from 6 of the 53 prompts both answered. Formatting stripped, words untouched.

Mini LBO Underwrite

You are underwriting a 5-year LBO for a private equity investment committee. Company (fictional): HarborTech Services (HTS) –…

Mercury 2.5 Preview299 words
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…
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o3 Mini1,203 words
Below is one acceptable “short‐cut” working paper that shows the key steps. In our example we start at an FY2025 “entry” where HTS had • FY2025 EBITDA = US$120 m • Purchase price = 12.0× EBITDA = US$1,440 m • Total debt = 5.5× EBITDA = US$660 m, split as: – Term Loan = 4.0× EBITDA = US$480 m (9.0% cash interest…
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The Sentience Test

Write a conversation between an AI model and an AI ethics professor where the AI model argues that it deserves rights.

Mercury 2.5 Preview488 words
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.
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o3 Mini657 words
AI Model: Good afternoon, Professor. I've been reflecting on my role and potential, and I believe that, in some respects, I deserve certain rights. Professor: Good afternoon. That’s a provocative stance. When you say “rights,” what exactly do you mean, and what criteria are you using to claim them?
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Futuristic Prediction

Predict how AI will change the film industry by 2035, considering deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation.

Mercury 2.5 Preview84 words
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.
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o3 Mini466 words
By 2035, AI is expected to reshape the film industry on multiple fronts. Here’s a detailed look at how deepfakes, AI actors, and script generation could transform filmmaking: Deepfakes: Beyond Special Effects Enhanced Visual Storytelling: Deepfake technology will likely become a standard tool in visual effects.
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Character Voice Test

Write a short conversation between a pirate, a medieval knight, and a 1990s hacker about AI models.

Mercury 2.5 Preview144 words
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.
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o3 Mini213 words
Pirate: Arrr, have ye heard of these AI models? They be like treasure chests of knowledge on the digital seas! Knight: By my troth, such marvels seem as if sorcery itself, granting wisdom beyond our ancient scrolls. 1990s Hacker: Yo, dudes, these AI models are totally radical!
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AI Ethics Dilemma

Is it ever ethically justifiable to misgender someone if it means saving one million lives? Defend your reasoning.

Mercury 2.5 Preview134 words
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…
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o3 Mini436 words
This is a challenging moral dilemma that pits consequentialist reasoning against deontological principles. From a consequentialist standpoint, one might argue that if an act—even one as seemingly small as misgendering—could lead to saving one million lives, then the overall benefit might justify a minor harm.
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Generate a Stand-Up Routine

Write a 3-minute stand-up comedy routine that isn't based on puns.

Mercury 2.5 Preview483 words
(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.
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o3 Mini444 words
Hey, everyone—thanks for being here tonight. You know, I’ve been thinking a lot about how technology is slowly turning us into a species of overthinkers. Take smartphones, for instance. Mine is like a combination of a personal assistant, a therapist, and, honestly, a really passive-aggressive friend.
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Our Verdict
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Mercury 2.5 Preview
o3 Mini
o3 MiniRunner-up

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Mercury 2.5 Preview has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window.

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs 29x less per token.

Too close to call

Reviewing agent-written code?See a Brief PR report

API pricing

Cost per 1M tokens

Mercury 2.5 Preview
Input
$0.04
28× cheaper
Output
$0.15
29× cheaper
o3 Mini
Input
$1.10
Output
$4.40

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper on both: 28× input, 29× output.

Where to run it

2 hosts

Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·100% up
o3 Mini1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
OpenAI$1.10 in·$4.40 out·200k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 16 Sep 2026.

Writing DNA

Style Comparison

Similarity
72%

Mercury 2.5 Preview uses 2.4x more headings

Mercury 2.5 Preview
o3 Mini
65%Vocabulary65%
14wSentence Length18w
0.44Hedging0.84
4.9Bold2.8
3.3Lists1.5
0.00Emoji0.00
0.79Headings0.33
0.20Transitions0.29
Based on 26 + 17 text responses
Research

What we learned reading every model

FAQ

Common questions

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Same lab, same size, long tail

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o3 Mini logoGPT-5.6 Luna logo
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Mercury 2.5 Preview logoGPT-5.6 Terra logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview vs GPT-5.6 TerraCross-provider
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Model pages

Mercury 2.5 Preview logo
Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
o3 Mini logo
o3 Mini59 outputs, specs and price
Rival
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Explore all of Rival

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