Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for input tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $0.15 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewPerceptron Mk1 vs NewLaguna XS.2 (free)
Pick Laguna XS.2 (free) when budget and context both matter.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Laguna XS.2 (free) when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLaguna XS.2 (free)
Context-first pickLaguna XS.2 (free)
Sample savings$0.9100%
10x traffic gap$9
Laguna XS.2 (free) is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $9. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Laguna XS.2 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Perceptron Mk1 | Laguna XS.2 (free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Laguna XS.2 (free) | $1.5 | $0 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Laguna XS.2 (free) | $1.65 | $0 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Laguna XS.2 (free) | $7.65 | $0 |
Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for output tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
Laguna XS.2 (free) has 98.3K more context (4x larger).
Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.9.
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
Laguna XS.2 (free) has the lower input price; Laguna XS.2 (free) has the lower output price; Laguna XS.2 (free) offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Laguna XS.2 (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1 and $0 for Laguna XS.2 (free).
Choose Perceptron Mk1 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
Choose Laguna XS.2 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower).
- Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $0.9.
- Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for input tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $0.15 per 1M tokens.
- Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for output tokens while Perceptron Mk1 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
- Laguna XS.2 (free) has 98.3K more context (4x larger).
| Feature | NewPerceptron Mk1 (Perceptron) | NewLaguna XS.2 (free) (Poolside) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0.15 | $0 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $1.5 | $0 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0.9 | $0 |
| Context Window | 32.77K | 131.07K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Laguna XS.2 (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $0.9 for Perceptron Mk1, saving $0.9 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Laguna XS.2 (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Laguna XS.2 (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Laguna XS.2 (free) | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- No lower-cost same-provider swap is currently tracked for this pair.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
- Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite offers 1.05M context with $1 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Pro offers 1.05M context with $0.87 sample workload cost.
- No popular competitor is currently available.
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.
Open largest context modelsProvider catalogs
Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.
Open provider hubsPerceptron catalog
Review all tracked Perceptron models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.
Open Perceptron modelsPoolside catalog
Check other Poolside models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.
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