Mercury 2.5 Preview is $2.51 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98.4% lower; 63.7x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewMercury 2.5 Preview vs MoonshotAI Kimi Latest
Pick Mercury 2.5 Preview for lower cost; pick MoonshotAI Kimi Latest only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Mercury 2.5 Preview for lower cost; pick MoonshotAI Kimi Latest only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2.5 Preview is estimated at $0.11 vs $8.93 for MoonshotAI Kimi Latest, saving $8.81 (98.7% lower).
Cost-first pickMercury 2.5 Preview
Context-first pickMoonshotAI Kimi Latest
Sample savings$8.8198.7%
10x traffic gap$88.1
MoonshotAI Kimi Latest has more context, but Mercury 2.5 Preview saves $8.81 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $88.1. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Mercury 2.5 Preview stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Mercury 2.5 Preview | MoonshotAI Kimi Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Mercury 2.5 Preview | $0.28 | $19.12 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Mercury 2.5 Preview | $0.19 | $15.3 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Mercury 2.5 Preview | $0.79 | $66.3 |
Mercury 2.5 Preview is $12.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.8% lower; 85x difference).
MoonshotAI Kimi Latest has 788.58K more context (4.03x larger).
Mercury 2.5 Preview is $8.81 cheaper on the standard workload (98.7% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
Mercury 2.5 Preview has the lower input price; Mercury 2.5 Preview has the lower output price; MoonshotAI Kimi Latest offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.11 for Mercury 2.5 Preview and $8.93 for MoonshotAI Kimi Latest.
Choose Mercury 2.5 Preview when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose MoonshotAI Kimi Latest when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2.5 Preview is estimated at $0.11 vs $8.93 for MoonshotAI Kimi Latest, saving $8.81 (98.7% lower).
- Mercury 2.5 Preview is $8.81 cheaper on the standard workload (98.7% lower).
- Mercury 2.5 Preview is $2.51 cheaper per 1M input tokens (98.4% lower; 63.7x difference).
- Mercury 2.5 Preview is $12.6 cheaper per 1M output tokens (98.8% lower; 85x difference).
- MoonshotAI Kimi Latest has 788.58K more context (4.03x larger).
| Feature | NewMercury 2.5 Preview (Inception) | MoonshotAI Kimi Latest (MoonshotAI) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.04 | $2.55 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.15 | $12.75 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.11 | $8.93 |
| Context Window | 260K | 1.05M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Mercury 2.5 Preview | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2.5 Preview is estimated at $0.11 vs $8.93 for MoonshotAI Kimi Latest, saving $8.81 (98.7% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Mercury 2.5 Preview | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Mercury 2.5 Preview | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | MoonshotAI Kimi Latest | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
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