Mercury 3 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (9.1% lower; 1.1x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewMercury 3 vs DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch)
The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.
Page updated:
Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
The standard workload cost is tied; choose by context window, provider fit, latency, or model quality.
Both models are estimated at $0.28 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Cost-first pickTie
Context-first pickDeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch)
Sample savings$00%
10x traffic gap$0
Context-window winner: DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch). Cost does not separate this pair on the standard workload, so the next decision point is context window and model behavior.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Mercury 3, balanced workload favors DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch), and output-heavy chatbot favors DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch).
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Mercury 3 | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Mercury 3 | $0.68 | $0.72 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) | $0.45 | $0.44 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) | $1.85 | $1.76 |
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (5.7% lower; 1.06x difference).
DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).
Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $0.28.
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 3 has the lower input price; DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) has the lower output price; DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, the standard workload cost is tied.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.28 for Mercury 3 and $0.28 for DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch).
Choose Mercury 3 when you care most about lower input-token price.
Choose DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) when you care most about lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- Both models are estimated at $0.28 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
- Both models have the same estimated cost for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload: $0.28.
- Mercury 3 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (9.1% lower; 1.1x difference).
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) is $0.02 cheaper per 1M output tokens (5.7% lower; 1.06x difference).
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) has 48.58K more context (1.05x larger).
| Feature | NewMercury 3 (Inception) | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) (DeepSeek) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.1 | $0.11 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0.35 | $0.33 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.28 | $0.28 |
| Context Window | 1M | 1.05M |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Tie | Both models are estimated at $0.28 for the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload. |
| High-volume input processing | Mercury 3 | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Mercury 2.5 can replace Mercury 3 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.11.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 (free) can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash (free) can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest can replace DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision Exp (batch) when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.07.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna Pro (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- GPT-6 Luna (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #1
- GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
- Step 5 Preview · StepFun · #3
- MiMo-V2.6-Flash · Xiaomi · #4
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