Mercury 2.5 alternatives
Best Mercury 2.5 alternatives
10 models that can stand in for Mercury 2.5, ranked by benchmark score, with what each one does better.
Current Model
Mercury 2.5
- Input / 1M
- $0.04
- Output / 1M
- $0.15
- Context
- 260K
- Intelligence
- 12.3
Quick picks
The best alternative depends on what you need
Why people switch away from Mercury 2.5, and the model that fits each reason best.
Ranked
Top Mercury 2.5 alternatives
Each model is scored against Mercury 2.5. Green means better, red means worse.
| Model | Input / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Intelligence | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercury 2.5 Inception | Input / 1M$0.04 | Output / 1M$0.15 | Context260K | Intelligence12.3 | Reference model |
| Input / 1M$0.09+125% | Output / 1M$0.34+127% | Context262K+1% | Intelligence14.7+20% | Compare | |
Why switch:Higher intelligence scoreLarger 262K contextAccepts image and video | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.10+150% | Output / 1M$0.15 | Context262K+1% | Intelligence13.3+8% | Compare | |
Why switch:Higher intelligence scoreLarger 262K contextAccepts image and video | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.05+25% | Output / 1M$0.40+167% | Context400K+54% | Intelligence13+6% | Compare | |
Why switch:Higher intelligence scoreLarger 400K contextAccepts image and file | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.05+17% | Output / 1M$0.13-11% | Context262K+1% | Intelligence12.9+5% | Compare | |
Why switch:1.1x cheaper outputHigher intelligence scoreLarger 262K context | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.08+100% | Output / 1M$0.45+200% | Context262K+1% | Intelligence12.8+4% | Compare | |
Why switch:Higher intelligence scoreLarger 262K context | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.09+125% | Output / 1M$0.55+267% | Context262K+1% | Intelligence12-2% | Compare | |
Why switch:Larger 262K context | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.04-8% | Output / 1M$0.17+13% | Context131K-50% | Intelligence11.6-6% | Compare | |
| Input / 1M$0.06+50% | Output / 1M$0.25+67% | Context131K-50% | Intelligence11.1-10% | Compare | |
| Input / 1M$0.10+150% | Output / 1M$0.40+167% | Context1.05M+303% | Intelligence10.4-15% | Compare | |
Why switch:Larger 1.05M contextAccepts image and file and audio and video | |||||
| Input / 1M$0.02-55% | Output / 1M$0.09-40% | Context131K-50% | Intelligence10-19% | Compare | |
Why switch:1.7x cheaper output | |||||
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Mercury 2.5?
Gemma 4 31B from Google ranks first, based on independent benchmark scores. It costs $0.34 per 1M output tokens, compared with $0.15 for Mercury 2.5.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Mercury 2.5?
Yes. gpt-oss-20b charges $0.09 per 1M output tokens, versus $0.15 for Mercury 2.5.
Can I try Mercury 2.5 and its alternatives at the same time?
Yes. Shortcut Chat sends one prompt to several models at once, so you can compare Mercury 2.5 with any of these alternatives on your own tasks.
Not sure which to pick? Try them all.
Send one prompt to Mercury 2.5 and its alternatives at the same time, and keep the answer you like best.