ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

GLM-4.6V vs Mercury 2

GLM-4.6V comes out ahead, 59 to 53 on our weighted score, though Mercury 2 is 17% cheaper per token.

  1. Our pick

    Z.ai (Zhipu)

    GLM-4.6V

    Released Dec 8, 2025

    59/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.30 / $0.90
    • Context128K
  2. Inception

    Mercury 2

    Released Feb 24, 2026

    53/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.25 / $0.75
    • Context128K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

GLM-4.6V is our pick

GLM-4.6V is the better all-round choice, scoring 59/100 against Mercury 2 (53). It leads on inputs & features. Mercury 2 wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceMercury 2Mercury 2 $0.375 · GLM-4.6V $0.45 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameGLM-4.6V 128,000 · Mercury 2 128,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsGLM-4.6VGLM-4.6V: Text, Images, Video · Mercury 2: Text
  • Self-hostingGLM-4.6VPublishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGLM-4.6VMercury 2
Price50%6670
Inputs & features30%7045
Context window20%2424
Overall100%59/10053/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

GLM-4.6V vs Mercury 2 specifications side by side
SpecificationGLM-4.6VZ.ai (Zhipu)Mercury 2Inception
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.30$0.25 (best)
Output$0.90$0.75 (best)
Cached input—$0.025
Blended (3:1)$0.45$0.375 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceOfficial Z.AI APIOfficial Inception API
Limits
Context window128,000 tokens128,000 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens50,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYesYeslow · medium · high
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenProprietary
API model IDglm-4.6vmercury-2
API providers10 (best)1
ReleasedDec 8, 2025Feb 24, 2026
Knowledge cutoffApr 2025Jan 1, 2025
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • GLM-4.6V$4.80
  • Mercury 2$4.00
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: GLM-4.6V or Mercury 2?

GLM-4.6V is the better all-round choice, scoring 59/100 against Mercury 2 (53). It leads on inputs & features. Mercury 2 wins on price. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, GLM-4.6V or Mercury 2?

Mercury 2 is cheaper at $0.25 input / $0.75 output per million tokens (official Inception API price). GLM-4.6V costs $0.30 input / $0.90 output per million tokens (official Z.AI API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.375 per million tokens for Mercury 2 versus $0.45 for GLM-4.6V (1.2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. GLM-4.6V has not been scored yet and Mercury 2 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for GLM-4.6V and Mercury 2 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

GLM-4.6V and Mercury 2 share the same 128,000-token context window. Maximum output per response: GLM-4.6V up to 32,768, Mercury 2 up to 50,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

GLM-4.6V accepts text, images and video; Mercury 2 accepts text. GLM-4.6V handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

GLM-4.6V publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Mercury 2 is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Mercury 2 is the newest, released Feb 24, 2026. GLM-4.6V came out Dec 8, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GLM-4.6V Apr 2025, Mercury 2 Jan 1, 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.