Tool review · By Adam Johnstone · Updated 2026-09-13
Merlin's own website, in September 2026, advertises no model newer than Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Gemini 2.5. Its official query-cost table prices only models that have been retired. Its changelog has one entry for the whole of 2026. Either the product is a generation behind or the entire public site is.
Plans and prices
Checked against official sources on 2026-09-13. Where the vendor does not publish a figure, this table says so rather than filling the gap.
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 102 queries per day, refreshing daily. Vendor-published on the homepage. |
| Pro | ~$19/seat, or $19/mo billed annually | Merlin's own comparison page and homepage give these figures; the pricing page renders in JavaScript. |
| Teams | $15/seat/month | Vendor's comparison page states a minimum of 5 seats. A third-party guide says 2. Unresolved. |
| iOS in-app | $15–$20/mo | Apple lists “Pro Monthly $20” and “Unlimited Monthly $15” as separate products at different prices. How these map to the web plans is not documented. |
Model access
Merlin's own site names o3, o4-mini, GPT 4.1, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash, Mistral Large, Llama 3.1 405B, Grok 3 and OpenAI o1.
There is no mention of GPT-5.x, Claude 4.x or Gemini 3.x anywhere on Merlin's homepage. Every other tool on this site advertises at least one current-generation model. One third-party page claims Merlin serves GPT-5.2 and Claude Opus 4.6, but nothing Merlin publishes corroborates that, and its live homepage contradicts it. This is the single thing to check in the model picker before paying — it takes thirty seconds.
Limits
| Model | Cost per use |
|---|---|
| Claude 3 Opus | 50 queries |
| Claude 3.5 Sonnet | 25 queries |
| Mistral Large | 25 queries |
| GPT-4o | 15 queries |
| Gemini 1.5 Pro | 15 queries |
| GPT-4o Mini / GPT-3.5 / Claude 3 Haiku | 1 query |
| Flux 1 Pro image | 140 queries |
| Flux 1.1 Pro image | 100 queries |
| DALL·E 3 image | 100 queries |
This is Merlin's official query-standards table, and every model in it has been retired. The page carries no last-updated date and states that “Merlin team re-adjusts query mapping on a dynamic basis” — the vendor reserves the right to change costs without notice. Note also that enabling web access doubles the deduction, and a single premium image can cost more than a free user's entire daily allowance.
Fit
Open questions
Every comparison has gaps. Listing them is more useful than guessing, and these are the things worth checking yourself during a trial.
Platform and data
Chrome and Edge extensions, a web app, and iOS and Android apps. No desktop app. The Chrome listing shows 900,000 users, version 8.2.3, last updated 18 August 2026 — about a fifth of Sider's install base.
Better documented than Sider's and worse qualified. The policy was updated 20 January 2026 and commits to deleting user content 30 days after a deletion request, keeping usage data up to 2 years. A DPA is offered on request. Against that: no subprocessors are named — unusual for a product whose entire function is routing prompts to third-party models — and compliance with SOC 2, GDPR and ISO is stated as guaranteed only for plans at $5 a month or more. GDPR obligations do not in fact attach to a price point.
Sources
All figures on this page were checked on 2026-09-13. Prices and limits in this category change frequently — verify on the official page before paying. Merlin query standards · Merlin vs ChatGPT — vendor pricing statements · Merlin CEO on the unlimited-plan cap · Merlin privacy policy · Merlin refund policy · Merlin changelog
FAQ
Merlin's pricing page renders in JavaScript and publishes no figures as page text. Its own comparison page gives Teams at $15 per seat per month with a 5-seat minimum and Pro at around $19 per seat; the homepage says $19 per month billed annually. Apple's listing shows separate Pro Monthly at $20 and Unlimited Monthly at $15. These do not reconcile.
No. Merlin's CEO confirmed on the company's own feedback board that unlimited accounts were suspended above roughly $16 per day or $100 per month of usage, with the threshold scaled down proportionally for discounted accounts. That thread dates to 2025 and no current document restates the policy, so whether the cap still applies is unverified.
Merlin's website names o3, o4-mini, GPT 4.1, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Grok 3 — nothing from the GPT-5, Claude 4 or Gemini 3 generations. Its official query-cost table prices only retired models. Check the model picker before paying.
102 queries per day, refreshing daily, per Merlin's homepage. Note that enabling web access doubles the deduction, and generating one premium image costs 100 to 140 queries — more than a full day's free allowance.
Refund requests must be submitted within 3 days of purchase, and Merlin does not offer prorated refunds for unused subscription time. After 3 days all purchases are final. The policy was last updated 12 August 2026.
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