API cost decision in 10 seconds

Mercury 2 vs Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview

Pick Mercury 2 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview only if the larger context window matters more.

Pricing data updated: 2026-05-26T11:08:00Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Mercury 2 for lower cost; pick Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2 is estimated at $0.62 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.38 (37.5% lower).

Cost-first pickMercury 2

Context-first pickGemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview

Sample savings$0.3837.5%

10x traffic gap$3.75

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has more context, but Mercury 2 saves $0.38 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $3.75. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Mercury 2 stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Mercury 2	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Mercury 2	$1.62	$2
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Mercury 2	$1	$1.75
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Mercury 2	$4	$7.75

Cheaper input Tie $0.25 vs $0.25 / 1M

Both models report the same input price at $0.25 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Mercury 2 $0.75 vs $1.5 / 1M

Mercury 2 is $0.75 cheaper per 1M output tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).

Larger context Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview 128K vs 1.05M

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Sample workload Mercury 2 $0.62 vs $1

Mercury 2 is $0.38 cheaper on the standard workload (37.5% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Mercury 2 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview Calculating… Estimated API cost

Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

both models tie on input price; Mercury 2 has the lower output price; Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Mercury 2 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.62 for Mercury 2 and $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview.

Best Fit

Choose Mercury 2 when you care most about lower output-token price.

Choose Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2 is estimated at $0.62 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.38 (37.5% lower).
Mercury 2 is $0.38 cheaper on the standard workload (37.5% lower).
Both models report the same input price at $0.25 per 1M tokens.
Mercury 2 is $0.75 cheaper per 1M output tokens (50% lower; 2x difference).
Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview has 920.58K more context (8.19x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	Mercury 2 (Inception)	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview (Google)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.25	$0.25
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.75	$1.5
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.62	$1
Context Window	128K	1.05M
Release Date	2026-03-04	2026-03-03

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Mercury 2	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2 is estimated at $0.62 vs $1 for Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview, saving $0.38 (37.5% lower).
High-volume input processing	Tie	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Mercury 2	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Gemma 4 26B A4B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Gemma 4 31B (free) can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Pro Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Lyria 3 Clip Preview can replace Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite Preview when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

No popular competitor is currently available.

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

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Provider catalogs

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Inception catalog

Review all tracked Inception models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Google catalog

Check other Google models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

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