North Mini Code (free) is free for input tokens while Laguna XS.2 costs $0.1 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
North Mini Code (free) vs Laguna XS.2
Pick North Mini Code (free) for lower cost; pick Laguna XS.2 only if the larger context window matters more.
Budget verdict
Pick North Mini Code (free) for lower cost; pick Laguna XS.2 only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.2 for Laguna XS.2, saving $0.2 (100% lower).
Laguna XS.2 has more context, but North Mini Code (free) saves $0.2 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $2. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
North Mini Code (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | North Mini Code (free) | Laguna XS.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $0.6 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $0.3 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | North Mini Code (free) | $0 | $1.1 |
North Mini Code (free) is free for output tokens while Laguna XS.2 costs $0.2 per 1M tokens.
Laguna XS.2 has 6.14K more context (1.02x larger).
North Mini Code (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.2.
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.
Quick Decision
North Mini Code (free) has the lower input price; North Mini Code (free) has the lower output price; Laguna XS.2 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, North Mini Code (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for North Mini Code (free) and $0.2 for Laguna XS.2.
Choose North Mini Code (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Laguna XS.2 when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.2 for Laguna XS.2, saving $0.2 (100% lower).
- North Mini Code (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.2.
- North Mini Code (free) is free for input tokens while Laguna XS.2 costs $0.1 per 1M tokens.
- North Mini Code (free) is free for output tokens while Laguna XS.2 costs $0.2 per 1M tokens.
- Laguna XS.2 has 6.14K more context (1.02x larger).
| Feature | North Mini Code (free) (Cohere) | Laguna XS.2 (Poolside) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.1 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $0.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $0.2 |
| Context Window | 256K | 262.14K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | North Mini Code (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, North Mini Code (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.2 for Laguna XS.2, saving $0.2 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | North Mini Code (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | North Mini Code (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Laguna XS.2 | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Laguna S 2.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Laguna XS 2.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Laguna XS.2 (free) can replace Laguna XS.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Laguna M.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS.2 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 offers 1.31M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash Latest offers 1.31M context with $0.11 sample workload cost.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 1.31M context with $0.25 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.
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Open provider hubsCohere catalog
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Open Cohere modelsPoolside catalog
Check other Poolside models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
Open Poolside modelsNorth Mini Code is Cohere's first agentic coding model and the debut of its North family. A sparse mixture-of-experts model with 30B total parameters and 3B active, it is optimized...
Laguna XS.2 is the second-generation model in the XS size class from [Poolside](https://poolside.ai/), their efficient coding agent series. It combines tool calling and reasoning capabilities with a compact footprint, offering...