Inception Labs
1 model across 1 family · Latest: Mercury 2 (2026-02)
Inception Labs's portfolio covers 1 active model across 1 current family, spanning rag, long context, and classification. Open a model detail page to compare provider routes and sourced benchmarks.
Covers 4 workload areas across 1 active tracked model; last verified 2026-06-29.
Use it for
- Teams evaluating rag, long context, and classification across this lab's releases
- Comparing model families before committing to a flagship
- Migration and pricing follow-ups across 1 tracked models
Do not use it for
- Choosing a hosting provider without opening a model page for price ladders
Active models
1
Current models from this lab, excluding deprecated ones
Active families
1
Current model families from this lab
Open catalog
0 open
0 open source / 0 open weights
Lowest output price
$0.750 /1M
Cheapest tracked output across active models, per 1M tokens
Latest dated release
2026-02-20
Mercury 2
Freshness
2026-06-29
Researched 18d ago
Information
Release cadence
Showing 1 recent dated release (full timeline below). Latest: Mercury 2 (2026-02-20).
Where this lab wins
- RAG: 1 tracked model with ruler / needle retrieval benchmarks.
- Long-context: 1 tracked model with context-token or InfiniteBench-class signal.
- Classification: 1 tracked model with MMLU-class moderation/safety coverage.
- JSON/tool-use: 1 tracked model with BFCL / Nexus strict-JSON routing coverage.
Flagship quality / price signal
Flagship: Mercury 2 (best sourced coding quality-per-dollar in this portfolio).
Quality-per-dollar unavailable for this flagship — benchmark coverage or output token pricing is still missing.
Inception Labs is an AI research lab founded in 2024. Inception Labs ships 1 model family totaling 1 model, with the most recent release Mercury 2 in 2026-02. Notable families include Mercury. Use it as a stable reference for lab background, release coverage, and follow-up model pages as they are added. Researchers and evaluators can scan counts, links, release history, and source. View official API endpoints, benchmark performance, and coding/agent fit for every Inception Labs model.
About
Inception Labs is an AI company building diffusion-based large language models (dLLMs), a fundamentally different architecture from autoregressive transformers. Their Mercury model series is designed for speed and efficiency, with Mercury 2 being one of the fastest commercially available LLMs.
Featured models
| Model | Released | Context | Input price ($/1M) | Output price ($/1M) | License | Openness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury 2 | 2026-02-20 | 131k | $0.25 | $0.75 | Proprietary | Proprietary |
Model families
Recent releases
- Mercury 2- 2026-02-20
FAQ
Who founded Inception Labs and when?
Inception Labs was founded in 2024 and is associated with San Francisco, CA.
What models has Inception Labs released?
Inception Labs ships 1 model across 1 family: Mercury.
Is Inception Labs's technology open source?
Inception Labs's models are proprietary.
Where is Inception Labs headquartered?
Inception Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
How can I access Inception Labs's models?
Inception Labs's models are available via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway.
Explore related pages
Last reviewed: 2026-06-29. Data sourced from public lab announcements and provider documentation.