GPT-5 vs Mercury 2
Side-by-side benchmark comparison across coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing.
GPT-5 by OpenAI wins on 4 of 7 benchmarks against Mercury 2 by Inception, which leads on 3. This head-to-head comparison covers coding, math, reasoning, speed, and pricing metrics from our benchmark data.
Category-by-Category Breakdown
Coding: In coding, GPT-5 scores 37.8 on AA Coding Index compared to Mercury 2's 31.1, while GPT-5 scores 1172 on Design Arena ELO compared to Mercury 2's 1014, while GPT-5 scores 1194 on Website Arena ELO compared to Mercury 2's 1036.
Context: In context, GPT-5 scores 400K on Context Length compared to Mercury 2's 128K.
Pricing Comparison
GPT-5 costs $1.3/1M input tokens and $10.0/1M output tokens, while Mercury 2 costs $0.25/1M input and $0.75/1M output. Mercury 2 is the more affordable option for API usage.
Verdict
Mercury 2 leads across the board in affordability, making it the stronger overall choice in this comparison.
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GPT-5 vs Mercury 2 — FAQ
Which is better, GPT-5 or Mercury 2?
GPT-5 wins on more benchmarks overall (4 vs 3). However, the best choice depends on your specific needs — each model excels in different areas.
How does GPT-5 compare to Mercury 2 for coding?
SWE-bench Verified data is not available for both models. Check the detailed comparison charts above for other coding-related metrics.
Is GPT-5 cheaper than Mercury 2?
Yes, Mercury 2 is cheaper. GPT-5 costs $1.3/1M input and $10.0/1M output tokens. Mercury 2 costs $0.25/1M input and $0.75/1M output tokens.
Which is faster, GPT-5 or Mercury 2?
Output speed data is not available for both models. Check the speed section of the comparison above for available performance data.
What benchmarks does the GPT-5 vs Mercury 2 comparison cover?
This comparison covers 7 benchmarks including Input Cost, Output Cost, Context Length, AA Coding Index, Cached Input Cost, Design Arena ELO, Website Arena ELO. Metrics span general intelligence, coding, math, reasoning, speed, and cost categories.