DeepSeek-V3 vs Mercury 2 Comparison

Comparing DeepSeek-V3 and Mercury 2 across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.

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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.

Sat Mar 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

Sat Mar 14 2026 • llm-stats.com

DeepSeek-V3

Input tokens$0.27

Output tokens$1.10

Best providerDeepSeek

Mercury 2

Input tokens$0.25

Output tokens$0.75

Best providerInception

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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-V3

Input131,072 tokens

Output131,072 tokens

Mercury 2

Input128,000 tokens

Output8,192 tokens

Sat Mar 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

1.2 years ago

Mercury 2

Feb 24, 2026

2 weeks 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. The availability of providers can affect quality of the model and reliability.