Mercury 3 vs Moondream 3 Preview
Updated October 21, 2026. 0 benchmarks have a result for both. Coding is ranked on the Vibe Coding Index; every other board is shown as published.
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $0.35
- Coding
- No data
- Overall
- No data
- Output $/M
- $2.50
Decision reading
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Mercury 3 has the edge where output tokens cost 7.1x less, and where the context window is larger, 1M against 32K tokens.
- Shared results
- 0
- Mercury 3 only
- 4
- Moondream 3 Preview only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 0 of 9
Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results only one model has describe coverage, not superiority.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Web design
Design Arena: websites
No call
Only Mercury 3 has a Design Arena: websites result, 1241.
Directional only
Long documents
Listed context window
Mercury 3
Mercury 3 takes 1M tokens against 32K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mercury 3
Mercury 3 $0.0003, Moondream 3 Preview $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Mercury 3 not benchmarked, Moondream 3 Preview not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- No category has a result for both models.
- Widest single gap
- No benchmark has a result for both models.
- Output price
- Mercury 3 $0.35 against Moondream 3 Preview $2.50 per million output tokens, 7.1x apart.
- Context window
- Mercury 3 takes 1M tokens, Moondream 3 Preview 32K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
CodingNot comparableSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 38 boards here | |||
IntelligenceNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 2 boards here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 39 boards here | |||
ReasoningNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 21 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 17 boards here | |||
Web designDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Arena: websites | 1241 | Not measured | Only Mercury 3 measured |
| Design Arena: UI components | 1268 | Not measured | Only Mercury 3 measured |
| Design Arena: game dev | 1215 | Not measured | Only Mercury 3 measured |
| Design Arena: all code categories | 1236 | Not measured | Only Mercury 3 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 5 boards here | |||
GeneralNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 46 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Mercury 3 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Mercury 3 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Mercury 3 costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Inception Mercury 3 | Moondream 3 Preview |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Inception | Moondream |
| Weights | No public weights listed | Open weights |
| Released | October 16, 2026 | October 15, 2026 |
| Context window | 1M | 32K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.10 | $0.30 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.35 | $2.50 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Mercury 3 better than Moondream 3 Preview for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Mercury 3 has the edge where output tokens cost 7.1x less, and where the context window is larger, 1M against 32K tokens.
Which is cheaper, Mercury 3 or Moondream 3 Preview?
Mercury 3 costs $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.35 per million output tokens; Moondream 3 Preview costs $0.30 and $2.50. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Mercury 3 or Moondream 3 Preview?
Mercury 3, with 1M tokens against 32K.
How many benchmarks is the Mercury 3 vs Moondream 3 Preview comparison based on?
0 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Mercury 3's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Moondream 3 Preview's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.