Pick Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort or deep aws bedrock integration for teams already building on aws. Pick Mercury 2.5 Preview for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation or coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models). On a tight budget at scale, Mercury 2.5 Preview is the value pick.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro (Amazon) and Mercury 2.5 Preview (Inception Labs) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Amazon Nova 2 Pro is amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Mercury 2.5 Preview is inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences
Price: Mercury 2.5 Preview is about 55× cheaper on input ($0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens vs $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
Context window: Amazon Nova 2 Pro holds 3.8× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 260K tokens (~390 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
Recency: Mercury 2.5 Preview is the newer model by about 9 months (released August 31, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Specifications
Spec
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Provider
Amazon (US)
Inception Labs (US)
Released
December 2, 2025
August 31, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
260K tokens (~390 pages)
Price (in/out)
$2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens
$0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
No — API only
No — API only
Modalities
text, image
text
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — Its 1M window holds about 3.8× more than Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K tokens in a single prompt.
Deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier — and it carries the larger 1M context.
A companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — Mercury 2.5 Preview is comparatively weak here — 260K context window is far shorter than frontier 1M-token models
Very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation: Mercury 2.5 Preview — Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality — and it runs cheaper at $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens.
Coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models): Mercury 2.5 Preview — At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro ($2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Mathematics accuracy (97.0%, 97th percentile): Mercury 2.5 Preview — Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality — and it is the newer of the two.
Lowest cost at scale: Mercury 2.5 Preview — At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — Its 1M window is about 3.8× larger than Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K tokens, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume: Mercury 2.5 Preview — At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort: Amazon Nova 2 Pro — It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation: Mercury 2.5 Preview — That is its strongest area.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro: where it fits
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Released December 2, 2025 by Amazon, it is built for amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS, a companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family, and replaces the original Nova Premier, which AWS is retiring in September 2026.
Its trade-offs are real: pricing shown reflects preview-tier rates and may change at general availability, amazon's Nova line has historically scored below independent-intelligence leaders like Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and a newer release with less real-world production track record than established flagships. At $2.19 in / $17.5 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
Mercury 2.5 Preview: where it fits
Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality. Released August 31, 2026 by Inception Labs, it is built for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation, coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models), mathematics accuracy (97.0%, 97th percentile), and tunable reasoning levels with parallel tool calls and schema-aligned JSON output.
Its trade-offs: 260K context window is far shorter than frontier 1M-token models, no vision or audio modalities, positioned only against cost-optimized models (GPT-5.6 Luna Low, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite), not frontier-class, and current $0.04/$0.15 pricing includes a limited-time launch promotion on OpenRouter (list price is $0.20/$0.75, may rise after Sept 8, 2026). At $0.04 in / $0.15 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Mercury 2.5 Preview costs less per token; Amazon Nova 2 Pro holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, Mercury 2.5 Preview for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Frequently asked questions
Is Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Amazon Nova 2 Pro leans toward amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort while Mercury 2.5 Preview leans toward very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview?
Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper — $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens vs $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens, roughly 55× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Amazon Nova 2 Pro — 1M vs 260K tokens, about 3.8× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Amazon Nova 2 Pro, Mercury 2.5 Preview and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview?
Mercury 2.5 Preview — released August 31, 2026, about 9 months after Amazon Nova 2 Pro.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro vs Mercury 2.5 Preview
Amazon · US | Inception Labs · US · Updated June 2026
Quick verdict
Pick Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort or deep aws bedrock integration for teams already building on aws. Pick Mercury 2.5 Preview for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation or coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models). On a tight budget at scale, Mercury 2.5 Preview is the value pick.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro (Amazon) and Mercury 2.5 Preview (Inception Labs) are two of the models people most often weigh against each other in 2026. Amazon Nova 2 Pro is amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Mercury 2.5 Preview is inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality. They diverge most on price and context window — each quantified below from the models' real specs.
Key differences at a glance
▸Price: Mercury 2.5 Preview is about 55× cheaper on input ($0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens vs $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens) — a large enough gap that at scale it can be the single biggest line item in the decision.
▸Context window: Amazon Nova 2 Pro holds 3.8× more — 1M (~1,500 pages) vs 260K tokens (~390 pages). But effective recall usually fades long before the advertised ceiling, so the bigger number only helps if the model reasons over it.
▸Recency: Mercury 2.5 Preview is the newer model by about 9 months (released August 31, 2026), usually meaning fresher training data and capabilities.
Side-by-side specs
Spec
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Provider
Amazon (US)
Inception Labs (US)
Released
December 2, 2025
August 31, 2026
Context window
1M (~1,500 pages)
260K tokens (~390 pages)
Price (in/out)
$2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens
$0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens
Open weight?
No — API only
No — API only
Modalities
text, image
text
SWE-Bench Verified
Not published
Not published
MRCR v2 @ 1M
Not published
Not published
Who wins what
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Its 1M window holds about 3.8× more than Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K tokens in a single prompt.
Deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier — and it carries the larger 1M context.
A companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Mercury 2.5 Preview is comparatively weak here — 260K context window is far shorter than frontier 1M-token models
Very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality — and it runs cheaper at $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens.
Coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models)
Mercury 2.5 Preview
At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro ($2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens), and that gap compounds at volume.
Mathematics accuracy (97.0%, 97th percentile)
Mercury 2.5 Preview
Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality — and it is the newer of the two.
Lowest cost at scale
Mercury 2.5 Preview
At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens, it is the cheaper of the two — the gap dominates the bill on high-volume workloads.
Largest single-prompt input
Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Its 1M window is about 3.8× larger than Mercury 2.5 Preview's 260K tokens, fitting roughly 1,500 pages in one prompt.
Which should you pick?
A cost-sensitive startup shipping high volume
→ Mercury 2.5 Preview
At $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens it undercuts Amazon Nova 2 Pro, and on millions of tokens that margin decides the monthly bill.
Someone analysing very long documents or codebases
→ Amazon Nova 2 Pro
Larger 1M window fits more in one prompt.
Anyone whose priority is amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort
→ Amazon Nova 2 Pro
It is specifically built for that.
Anyone whose priority is very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation
→ Mercury 2.5 Preview
That is its strongest area.
Amazon Nova 2 Pro: where it fits
Amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - 1M context, selectable reasoning effort, and deep Bedrock integration, replacing the retiring Nova Premier. Released December 2, 2025 by Amazon, it is built for amazon's next-generation Nova flagship - a 1M-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, deep AWS Bedrock integration for teams already building on AWS, a companion real-time-voice model (Nova 2 Sonic) in the same family, and replaces the original Nova Premier, which AWS is retiring in September 2026.
Its trade-offs are real: pricing shown reflects preview-tier rates and may change at general availability, amazon's Nova line has historically scored below independent-intelligence leaders like Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and a newer release with less real-world production track record than established flagships. At $2.19 in / $17.5 out per million tokens, it sits in the mid price band.
Mercury 2.5 Preview: where it fits
Inception Labs' August 31, 2026 diffusion-based language model preview, refining tokens in parallel for roughly 10x the throughput of comparable autoregressive models at cost-optimized-tier quality. Released August 31, 2026 by Inception Labs, it is built for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation, coding accuracy (95.7%, 91st percentile among cost-optimized models), mathematics accuracy (97.0%, 97th percentile), and tunable reasoning levels with parallel tool calls and schema-aligned JSON output.
Its trade-offs: 260K context window is far shorter than frontier 1M-token models, no vision or audio modalities, positioned only against cost-optimized models (GPT-5.6 Luna Low, Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite), not frontier-class, and current $0.04/$0.15 pricing includes a limited-time launch promotion on OpenRouter (list price is $0.20/$0.75, may rise after Sept 8, 2026). At $0.04 in / $0.15 out per million tokens, it sits in the budget price band.
The bottom line for this matchup
Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview overlap enough that the right pick depends on your specific job. Mercury 2.5 Preview costs less per token; Amazon Nova 2 Pro holds the larger context; and each leads in its own area — Amazon Nova 2 Pro for amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort, Mercury 2.5 Preview for very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation. Rather than crowning one, run the same hard task through both once and let the results decide.
Want both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview without two subscriptions? LumiChats gives you these plus 40+ models under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day) — draft with one, cross-check with the other.
Is Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview better for coding?
Public SWE-Bench figures are not available for either model, so the honest test is your own repository — run an identical real bug through both. By design, Amazon Nova 2 Pro leans toward amazon's next-generation nova flagship - a 1m-token context window with selectable reasoning effort while Mercury 2.5 Preview leans toward very high inference throughput (1,107 tok/s) via diffusion-based parallel token generation, and that positioning usually predicts which feels better on your codebase.
Which is cheaper, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview?
Mercury 2.5 Preview is cheaper — $2.19/$17.5 per 1M tokens vs $0.04/$0.15 per 1M tokens, roughly 55× apart on input.
Which has the bigger context window?
Amazon Nova 2 Pro — 1M vs 260K tokens, about 3.8× larger. Useful only if the model actually reasons over the full window, which not all do.
Can I use both Amazon Nova 2 Pro and Mercury 2.5 Preview together?
Yes — a multi-model platform like LumiChats gives you Amazon Nova 2 Pro, Mercury 2.5 Preview and 40+ others under one ₹69/day pass (about $1/day), so you can draft with one and cross-check with the other instead of buying two subscriptions.
Which is newer, Amazon Nova 2 Pro or Mercury 2.5 Preview?
Mercury 2.5 Preview — released August 31, 2026, about 9 months after Amazon Nova 2 Pro.
Specifications and benchmarks reflect publicly reported figures as of June 2026 and may change as providers release updates. Always verify on your own workload.