Side-by-side comparison of pricing, 12 benchmarks, and generation speed.
| Metric | Mercury 2 | Qwen3 VL 30B A3B (Reasoning) |
|---|---|---|
| Input ($/M tokens) | $0.25 | $0.2 |
| Output ($/M tokens) | $0.75 | $0.75 |
Data from Artificial Analysis API — 12 benchmarks
Qwen3 VL 30B A3B (Reasoning) is cheaper overall. Its blended price (3:1 input/output ratio) is $0.34/M tokens vs $0.38/M for Mercury 2.
Mercury 2 wins 7 out of 12 benchmarks compared to 4 for Qwen3 VL 30B A3B (Reasoning). See the detailed benchmark chart above for per-category results.
Mercury 2 generates tokens faster at 809 tok/s vs 125 tok/s. However, Qwen3 VL 30B A3B (Reasoning) has lower time-to-first-token (1.03s vs 3.48s).
Choose based on your priorities: Qwen3 VL 30B A3B (Reasoning) for lower cost, Mercury 2 for stronger benchmark performance, and Mercury 2 for faster generation. For latency-sensitive apps, check the TTFT comparison above.