API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.4 Image 2 vs Mercury 2

Pick Mercury 2 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 Image 2 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Mercury 2 for lower cost; pick GPT-5.4 Image 2 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 $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $14.88 (96% lower).

Cost-first pickMercury 2
Context-first pickGPT-5.4 Image 2
Sample savings$14.8896%
10x traffic gap$148.75

GPT-5.4 Image 2 has more context, but Mercury 2 saves $14.88 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $148.75. 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 shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.4 Image 2Mercury 2
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputMercury 2$47.5$1.62
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputMercury 2$23$1
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputMercury 2$83$4
Cheaper input Mercury 2 $8 vs $0.25 / 1M

Mercury 2 is $7.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96.9% lower; 32x difference).

Cheaper output Mercury 2 $15 vs $0.75 / 1M

Mercury 2 is $14.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.4 Image 2 272K vs 128K

GPT-5.4 Image 2 has 144K more context (2.12x larger).

Sample workload Mercury 2 $15.5 vs $0.62

Mercury 2 is $14.88 cheaper on the standard workload (96% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.4 Image 2 Calculating… Estimated API cost
Mercury 2 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

Mercury 2 has the lower input price; Mercury 2 has the lower output price; GPT-5.4 Image 2 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 $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2 and $0.62 for Mercury 2.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.4 Image 2 when you care most about larger context window.

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

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2 is estimated at $0.62 vs $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $14.88 (96% lower).
  • Mercury 2 is $14.88 cheaper on the standard workload (96% lower).
  • Mercury 2 is $7.75 cheaper per 1M input tokens (96.9% lower; 32x difference).
  • Mercury 2 is $14.25 cheaper per 1M output tokens (95% lower; 20x difference).
  • GPT-5.4 Image 2 has 144K more context (2.12x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.4 Image 2
(OpenAI)		Mercury 2
(Inception)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$8$0.25
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$15$0.75
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$15.5$0.62
Context Window272K128K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionMercury 2On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Mercury 2 is estimated at $0.62 vs $15.5 for GPT-5.4 Image 2, saving $14.88 (96% lower).
High-volume input processingMercury 2Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsMercury 2Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.4 Image 2A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 Image 2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.4 Image 2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.4 Image 2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.4 Image 2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.4 offers 1.05M context with $10 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

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

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

OpenAI catalog

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

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Inception catalog

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

Open Inception models
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