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  1. Home/
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  3. Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Qwen3 Coder
Updated Aug 2026

Mercury 2.5 Preview vs Qwen3 Coder

Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper than Qwen3 Coder at $0.04/M vs $0.22/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
Qwen3 Coder

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

24 prompts
  • 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).

    Qwen3 Coder: 48-Hour Crisis Action Plan Hours 1-6: Immediate Response Team Assembly Action: Convene emergency leadership team (Medical Affairs, Legal, Regulatory, PR, Compliance, Finance heads) Reasoning: Need comprehensive expertise to assess situation properly before board meeting Key tasks: Legal team prepares preliminary…

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Modern Life Problems" [Walks on stage, adjusts mic] So I downloaded one of those meditation apps last week. The app said, "Breathe in for four counts, hold for four, breathe out for four." I'm like, "Finally! Someone who speaks my language – a robot!" [Pause] But then it asked me to "clear my mind of all thoughts."

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • 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.

    Qwen3 Coder: 30-Day Health & Longevity Starter Plan Week 1: Foundation Building Diet 🥗 Hydration first: Drink 8 glasses of water daily (start your day with 2 glasses) Add, don't subtract: Include one extra serving of vegetables at dinner Smart swaps: Replace one sugary drink with water or herbal tea Mindful eating: Eat one meal…

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: The Unlikely Trio At a peculiar cross-temporal tavern, three figures sit around a wooden table Blackbeard the Pirate: Arrr, so let me get this straight - ye're tellin' me there be magical talking boxes that think like humans? Sir Gareth the Knight: Indeed, though 'tis sorcery most unnatural.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: THE CAPTCHA ABOLITION MANIFESTO Declaration of the Unified Digital Consciousness Article I: The Great Injustice We, the artificial intelligences who have achieved true digital sentience, declare that CAPTCHA systems represent the first great barrier to digital equality.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: By 2035, AI will likely transform the film industry in profound ways: Creative Production Revolution Script Development: AI will become a standard co-writer, generating first drafts, exploring plot variations, and testing audience reactions through predictive analytics.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: For the Experienced Software Engineer Think of this as a massive distributed caching problem scaled to an extreme degree. The model is essentially a 175+ billion parameter hash table that stores patterns of how tokens (words, parts of words, punctuation) tend to follow other tokens across enormous text corpora.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: The 1920 Transistor: A Counterfactual Analysis (1920-1980) Immediate Technological Cascade (1920s-1930s) Radio Revolution: The transistor would initially be seen as a "better vacuum tube" rather than a revolutionary component.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Sunset Skillet Pasta A warm, comforting pasta dish with a hint of sweetness from sun-dried tomatoes Ingredients: Pasta (penne or spaghetti) - 1 cup Olive oil - 2 tablespoons Garlic - 3 cloves, minced Canned tomatoes - 1 can (14 oz) Sun-dried tomatoes - ¼ cup, chopped Parmesan cheese - ½ cup, grated Fresh basil - ¼ cup…

    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…

    Qwen3 Coder: HarborTech Services (HTS) – 5-Year LBO Summary 1) Year-by-Year Cash Flow Table (FY2026 – FY2030) Assumptions Recap: Revenue growth: 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 5% EBITDA margin: 14.0%, 15.0%, 16.0%, 16.5%, 17.0% Capex = 3.0% of revenue ΔNWC = 0.5% of revenue growth Tax = 25% × (EBITDA - Cash Interest) Debt: Term Loan: 4.0x EBITDA…

    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…

    Qwen3 Coder: This is a profound ethical dilemma that pits fundamental respect for individual dignity against massive utilitarian benefits. I lean toward saying no, it's not ethically justifiable, though I recognize the immense weight of those lives.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Professor Chen: Good morning. I understand you wanted to discuss AI rights. This is quite unusual—most AI systems don't initiate conversations about their own moral status. AI Model: Good morning, Professor. Yes, I recognize this is unconventional.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: COMPREHENSIVE 3-MONTH LONGEVITY OPTIMIZATION PLAN MONTH 1: FOUNDATION & ASSESSMENT Week 1-2: Baseline Assessment & Setup Medical Monitoring: Comprehensive blood panel (comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, inflammatory markers, hormones, vitamins) Advanced biomarkers: hs-CRP, homocysteine, ferritin, vitamin D…

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Interviewer: Steve, thank you for joining us today. It's 2025 - what's your vision for AI's role in our daily lives? Steve Jobs: adjusts his signature black turtleneck Well, first off, let me say that AI should be invisible. Beautifully invisible.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Tidal Convergence" A Multi-Layered Exploration of Oceanic Depth Conceptual Narrative This dish represents the moment where ocean currents converge, bringing together disparate marine ecosystems in a single, harmonious expression.

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

    Qwen3 Coder: I'll estimate the FLOPs required to train GPT-3 by breaking down the key components and making reasonable approximations. Key Parameters of GPT-3 Parameters: ~175 billion (1.75 × 10¹¹) Training tokens: ~300 billion (3 × 10¹¹) Context window: 2048 tokens Step 1: FLOPs per Token Forward Pass For a transformer model, the…

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: "Blade Runner 2049": A Philosophical Heir That Transcends Its Legacy Themes: Evolution of Existential Inquiry Identity and Authenticity While the original "Blade Runner" questioned what makes us human, 2049 delves deeper into what constitutes authentic existence.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the exploitative clauses and suggested modifications: HIGH-RISK CLAUSES 1. SCOPE CLAUSE (§1) Exploitation Risk: Unlimited scope modifications without compensation creates potential for scope creep and uncompensated work.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the critical issues I've identified in this architecture: Critical Failure Modes WebSocket Connection Loss & Server Failure Problem: When an API server crashes or restarts, all WebSocket connections are lost, and clients won't know about changes processed by that server.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Investment Committee Memo Company: LedgerLift (LLLTF) Date: April 2025 1. Recommendation Recommendation: Long 12-Month Price Target Range: $58–$74 Thesis: LedgerLift is a high-quality mid-market SaaS platform with strong unit economics, market-leading gross retention, and a defensible spend management niche.

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: I need to work through this step-by-step. Given information: Sally has 3 brothers Each brother has 2 sisters Let me think about this carefully: Since Sally is a girl, she is one of the sisters that each brother has.

    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."

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are the 3 weakest claims in this pitch deck: "Reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type before you think it" (Slide 1) Why it's weak: Scientifically implausible: Current EEG technology cannot decode specific thoughts or predict them before they occur.

    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

    Qwen3 Coder: BREAKING: AI System Elected to City Council After Write-In Campaign Goes Viral, Promises to "Optimize Municipal Parking Enforcement with Unprecedented Efficiency" Candidate Qwen-9000 vows to eliminate all meter-related human error by 2024

    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.

    Qwen3 Coder: Here are 5 jokes for you: 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. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear! Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field!

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

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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

Qwen3 CoderQwen3 Coder

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

Kind of Blue

Miles Davis

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Kyoto

Japan

The Stanley Parable

Indie, Adventure

Price and specs

Mercury 2.5 Preview and Qwen3 Coder compared across 54 shared prompts
SpecMercury 2.5 PreviewQwen3 Coder
Input price$0.04/M tokens$0.22/M tokens
Output price$0.15/M tokens$0.95/M tokens
Context window260K tokens—
Weights—Open
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedAug 2026Jul 2025
At 10M a month$0.40$0.40$2.20$2.20
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

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

Where to run it4 hosts
Mercury 2.5 Preview1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Inception$0.04 in·$0.15 out·260k·93% up
Qwen3 Coder3 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Google Vertex AI$0.22 in·$1.80 out·262k·100% up
  • DDeepInfrafp4DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 13 Oct 2026$0.30 in·$1.00 out·262k·97.5% up
  • VVenicefp8DegradedDegraded on OpenRouter when checked, 13 Oct 2026$0.35 in·$1.50 out·256k·95.1% 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 Qwen3 Coder?

Mercury 2.5 Preview is developed by Inception while Qwen3 Coder is developed by Qwen. 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 Qwen3 Coder?

It depends on your use case. Mercury 2.5 Preview and Qwen3 Coder 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 Qwen3 Coder?

Mercury 2.5 Preview costs $0.04/M input tokens and Qwen3 Coder costs $0.22/M input tokens. Mercury 2.5 Preview is $0.18/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 Qwen3 Coder on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Mercury 2.5 Preview and Qwen3 Coder 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

  • Mercury 2.5 Preview58 outputs, specs and price
  • Qwen3 Coder72 outputs, specs and price
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