Model Comparison

DeepSeek-R1 vs Mercury 2

Comparing DeepSeek-R1 and Mercury 2 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

No common benchmarks found

DeepSeek-R1 and Mercury 2 don't have any common benchmark datasets to compare. They may have been evaluated on different testing suites.

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Mercury 2 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($0.55/1M tokens) is 2.2x more expensive than Mercury 2 ($0.25/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-R1 ($2.19/1M tokens) is 2.9x more expensive than Mercury 2 ($0.75/1M tokens).

In conclusion, DeepSeek-R1 is more expensive than Mercury 2.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Fri Apr 17 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input tokens$0.55
Output tokens$2.19
Best providerDeepSeek
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

DeepSeek-R1 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Mercury 2's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-R1 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Mercury 2 is limited to 8,192 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Inception
Mercury 2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Fri Apr 17 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-R1 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

MIT

Open weights

Mercury 2

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

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

Mercury 2 is 13 months newer than DeepSeek-R1.

DeepSeek-R1

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 is available from DeepSeek, DeepInfra, Together, Fireworks. Mercury 2 is available from Inception.

DeepSeek-R1

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.55/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.19/1M
deepinfra logo
Deepinfra
Input Price:Input: $0.85/1MOutput Price:Output: $2.50/1M
together logo
Together
Input Price:Input: $7.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $7.00/1M
fireworks logo
Fireworks
Input Price:Input: $8.00/1MOutput Price:Output: $8.00/1M

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
Larger context window (131,072 tokens)
Has open weights
Inception
Less expensive input tokens
Less expensive output tokens

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-R1
Inception
Mercury 2

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-R1 vs Mercury 2

DeepSeek-R1 (DeepSeek) and Mercury 2 (Inception) each have strengths in different areas. Compare their benchmark scores, pricing, context windows, and capabilities above to determine which fits your needs.
Mercury 2 scores AIME 2025: 91.1%, GPQA: 74.0%, IFBench: 71.0%, LiveCodeBench: 67.0%, Tau2 Airline: 53.0%.
Mercury 2 is 2.2x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-R1 costs $0.55/M input and $2.19/M output via deepseek. Mercury 2 costs $0.25/M input and $0.75/M output via inception.
DeepSeek-R1 supports 131K 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 context window (131K vs 128K), input pricing ($0.55 vs $0.25/M), licensing (MIT vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek-R1 is developed by DeepSeek and Mercury 2 is developed by Inception.