Model Comparison

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is 2.1x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Mercury 2 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench).

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Wed Apr 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B ($0.10/1M tokens) is 2.5x cheaper than Mercury 2 ($0.25/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B ($0.40/1M tokens) is 1.9x cheaper than Mercury 2 ($0.75/1M tokens).

In conclusion, Mercury 2 is more expensive than DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B.*

* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens

Lowest available price from all providers
Wed Apr 15 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B
Input tokens$0.10
Output tokens$0.40
Best providerDeepinfra
Inception
Mercury 2
Input tokens$0.25
Output tokens$0.75
Best providerInception
Notice missing or incorrect data?Start an Issue→

Context Window

Maximum input and output token capacity

Both models have the same input context window of 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Mercury 2 is limited to 8,192 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B
Input128,000 tokens
Output128,000 tokens
Inception
Mercury 2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Wed Apr 15 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is licensed under MIT, while Mercury 2 uses a proprietary license.

License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

MIT

Open weights

Mercury 2

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B was released on 2025-01-20, while Mercury 2 was released on 2026-02-24.

Mercury 2 is 13 months newer than DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

Jan 20, 2025

1.2 years ago

Mercury 2

Feb 24, 2026

1 months ago

1.1yr newer

Knowledge Cutoff

When training data ends

Neither model specifies a knowledge cutoff date.

Unable to compare the recency of their training data.

No cutoff dates available

Provider Availability

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is available from DeepInfra. Mercury 2 is available from Inception.

DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B

deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.10/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.40/1M

Mercury 2

inception logo
Inception
Input Price:Input: $0.25/1MOutput Price:Output: $0.75/1M
* Prices shown are per million tokens

Outputs Comparison

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Key Takeaways

DeepSeek
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens
Has open weights
Inception
Higher GPQA score (74.0% vs 65.2%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (67.0% vs 57.5%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B
Inception
Mercury 2

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is made by DeepSeek and Mercury 2 is made by Inception. The best choice depends on your use case — compare their benchmark scores, pricing, and capabilities above.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B scores MATH-500: 94.5%, AIME 2024: 86.7%, GPQA: 65.2%, LiveCodeBench: 57.5%. Mercury 2 scores AIME 2025: 91.1%, GPQA: 74.0%, IFBench: 71.0%, LiveCodeBench: 67.0%, Tau2 Airline: 53.0%.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is 2.5x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B costs $0.10/M input and $0.40/M output via deepinfra. Mercury 2 costs $0.25/M input and $0.75/M output via inception.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B supports 128K tokens and Mercury 2 supports 128K tokens. A larger context window lets you process longer documents, conversations, or codebases in a single request.
Key differences include input pricing ($0.10 vs $0.25/M), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek R1 Distill Llama 70B is developed by DeepSeek and Mercury 2 is developed by Inception.