Laguna M.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
NewLaguna M.1 (free) vs NewMistral Medium 3.5
Pick Laguna M.1 (free) when budget is the priority.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Laguna M.1 (free) when budget is the priority.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.25 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLaguna M.1 (free)
Context-first pickBoth models
Sample savings$5.25100%
10x traffic gap$52.5
The reported context window is tied, so cost and provider fit carry more weight. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $52.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Laguna M.1 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Laguna M.1 (free) | Mistral Medium 3.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Laguna M.1 (free) | $0 | $11.25 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Laguna M.1 (free) | $0 | $9 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Laguna M.1 (free) | $0 | $39 |
Laguna M.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $7.5 per 1M tokens.
Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.
Laguna M.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $5.25.
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 M.1 (free) has the lower input price; Laguna M.1 (free) has the lower output price; both models report the same context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Laguna M.1 (free) is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0 for Laguna M.1 (free) and $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5.
Choose Laguna M.1 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Mistral Medium 3.5 when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.25 (100% lower).
- Laguna M.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $5.25.
- Laguna M.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $1.5 per 1M tokens.
- Laguna M.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Mistral Medium 3.5 costs $7.5 per 1M tokens.
- Both models report the same context window at 262.14K tokens.
| Feature | NewLaguna M.1 (free) (Poolside) | NewMistral Medium 3.5 (Mistral) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $1.5 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $7.5 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $5.25 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 262.14K |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #21 | #47 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Laguna M.1 (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $5.25 for Mistral Medium 3.5, saving $5.25 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Laguna M.1 (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Laguna M.1 (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Tie | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Mistral Nemo can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.04.
- Mistral Small 3 can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.09.
- Ministral 3 3B 2512 can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.15.
- Mistral Small 3.2 24B can replace Mistral Medium 3.5 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.17.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
- Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
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- Hy3 preview · Tencent · #2
- Claude Opus 4.7 · Anthropic · #3
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Cheaper alternatives
Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.
Open cheapest modelsLarger context alternatives
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