Model Comparison

DeepSeek-V3 vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. Mercury 2 is 1.3x cheaper per token.

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Performance Benchmarks

Comparative analysis across standard metrics

2 benchmarks

DeepSeek-V3 outperforms in 0 benchmarks, while Mercury 2 is better at 2 benchmarks (GPQA, LiveCodeBench).

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.

Tue Apr 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

Arena Performance

Human preference votes

Pricing Analysis

Price comparison per million tokens

Mercury 2 costs less

For input processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($0.27/1M tokens) is 1.1x more expensive than Mercury 2 ($0.25/1M tokens).

For output processing, DeepSeek-V3 ($1.10/1M tokens) is 1.5x more expensive than Mercury 2 ($0.75/1M tokens).

In conclusion, DeepSeek-V3 is more expensive than Mercury 2.*

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

Lowest available price from all providers
Tue Apr 14 2026 • llm-stats.com
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input tokens$0.27
Output tokens$1.10
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-V3 accepts 131,072 input tokens compared to Mercury 2's 128,000 tokens. DeepSeek-V3 can generate longer responses up to 131,072 tokens, while Mercury 2 is limited to 8,192 tokens.

DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Input131,072 tokens
Output131,072 tokens
Inception
Mercury 2
Input128,000 tokens
Output8,192 tokens
Tue Apr 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

License

Usage and distribution terms

DeepSeek-V3 is licensed under MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed), while Mercury 2 uses a proprietary license.

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

DeepSeek-V3

MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed)

Open weights

Mercury 2

Proprietary

Closed source

Release Timeline

When each model was launched

DeepSeek-V3 was released on 2024-12-25, while Mercury 2 was released on 2026-02-24.

Mercury 2 is 14 months newer than DeepSeek-V3.

DeepSeek-V3

Dec 25, 2024

1.3 years ago

Mercury 2

Feb 24, 2026

1 months ago

1.2yr 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-V3 is available from DeepSeek. Mercury 2 is available from Inception.

DeepSeek-V3

deepseek logo
DeepSeek
Input Price:Input: $0.27/1MOutput Price:Output: $1.10/1M

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
Higher GPQA score (74.0% vs 59.1%)
Higher LiveCodeBench score (67.0% vs 37.6%)

Detailed Comparison

AI Model Comparison Table
Feature
DeepSeek
DeepSeek-V3
Inception
Mercury 2

FAQ

Common questions about DeepSeek-V3 vs Mercury 2

Mercury 2 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks. DeepSeek-V3 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-V3 scores DROP: 91.6%, CLUEWSC: 90.9%, MATH-500: 90.2%, MMLU-Redux: 89.1%, MMLU: 88.5%. Mercury 2 scores AIME 2025: 91.1%, GPQA: 74.0%, IFBench: 71.0%, LiveCodeBench: 67.0%, Tau2 Airline: 53.0%.
Mercury 2 is 1.1x cheaper for input tokens. DeepSeek-V3 costs $0.27/M input and $1.10/M output via deepseek. Mercury 2 costs $0.25/M input and $0.75/M output via inception.
DeepSeek-V3 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 ($0.27 vs $0.25/M), licensing (MIT + Model License (Commercial use allowed) vs Proprietary). See the full comparison above for benchmark-by-benchmark results.
DeepSeek-V3 is developed by DeepSeek and Mercury 2 is developed by Inception.