token.app › Compare › Mercury 3 vs Flint (free)
Mercury 3 vs Flint (free)
Flint (free) is free to use, against $0.163 per million tokens. Mercury 3 accepts the larger context window (1M).
Head to head
Blended price uses a 3:1 input:output mix
| Mercury 3 | Flint (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Inception | Recursive |
| Input $/1M | $0.100 | Free |
| Output $/1M | $0.350 | Free |
| Blended $/1M | $0.163 | Free |
| Context window | 1M | 262K |
| Max output | 131K | 236K |
| Released | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Licence | Proprietary | Open weights |
Choose Mercury 3 if…
- Larger context window (1M)
Choose Flint (free) if…
- Costs less per token — Free vs $0.163 blended
- Open weights — self-hostable
- Newer model (released Oct 2026)
FAQ
Which is better, Mercury 3 or Flint (free)?
We do not hold independently-run benchmark scores covering both Mercury 3 and Flint (free), so we make no quality claim. Their pricing and specifications are compared on this page.
Is Mercury 3 cheaper than Flint (free)?
Flint (free) is cheaper: Free versus $0.163 per million tokens blended at 3:1 input:output. Input alone: $0.100 vs Free. Output alone: $0.350 vs Free.
What context windows do Mercury 3 and Flint (free) have?
Mercury 3: 1,000,000 tokens. Flint (free): 262,144 tokens.
Who makes Mercury 3 and Flint (free)?
Mercury 3 is made by Inception. Flint (free) is made by Recursive.