GPT-5 mini vs Mercury 2
GPT-5 mini has a slight edge in benchmark performance. Mercury 2 is 1.8x cheaper per token.
OpenAI · Inception · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
GPT-5 mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mercury 2 is better at 0 benchmarks. GPT-5 mini has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
On price, Mercury 2 is roughly 1.8x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
GPT-5 mini also accepts a larger context window (400,000 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current benchmark, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose GPT-5 mini
- you process long inputs — it offers a 400,000 token context window
Choose Mercury 2
- cost matters — it's about 1.8x cheaper per token
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Feb 2026
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Performance Benchmarks
Comparative analysis across standard metrics
GPT-5 mini outperforms in 1 benchmarks (GPQA), while Mercury 2 is better at 0 benchmarks.
GPT-5 mini has a slight edge in benchmark performance.
Arena Performance
Playground indexes and blind preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, GPT-5 mini ($0.25/1M tokens) costs the same as Mercury 2 ($0.25/1M tokens).
For output processing, GPT-5 mini ($2.00/1M tokens) is 2.7x more expensive than Mercury 2 ($0.75/1M tokens).
In conclusion, GPT-5 mini is more expensive than Mercury 2.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
GPT-5 mini accepts 400,000 input tokens compared to Mercury 2's 128,000 tokens. GPT-5 mini can generate longer responses up to 128,000 tokens, while Mercury 2 is limited to 8,192 tokens.
Input Capabilities
Supported data types and modalities
GPT-5 mini supports multimodal inputs, whereas Mercury 2 does not.
GPT-5 mini can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
GPT-5 mini
Mercury 2
License
Usage and distribution terms
Both models are licensed under proprietary licenses.
Both models have usage restrictions defined by their respective organizations.
Proprietary
Closed source
Proprietary
Closed source
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
GPT-5 mini was released on 2025-08-07, while Mercury 2 was released on 2026-02-24.
Mercury 2 is 7 months newer than GPT-5 mini.
Aug 7, 2025
1.0 years ago
Feb 24, 2026
6 months ago
6mo newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
GPT-5 mini has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2024-05-30, while Mercury 2's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm GPT-5 mini's training data extends to 2024-05-30, but cannot make a direct comparison without Mercury 2's cutoff date.
May 2024
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Provider Availability
GPT-5 mini is available from OpenAI. Mercury 2 is available from Inception.
GPT-5 mini
Mercury 2
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against GPT-5 mini and Mercury 2 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about GPT-5 mini vs Mercury 2.