API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewLaguna M.1 (free) vs Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B

Pick Laguna M.1 (free) for lower cost; pick Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Laguna M.1 (free) for lower cost; pick Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.12 for Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B, saving $1.12 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickLaguna M.1 (free)
Context-first pickQwen3 Coder 480B A35B
Sample savings$1.12100%
10x traffic gap$11.2

Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B has more context, but Laguna M.1 (free) saves $1.12 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $11.2. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Laguna M.1 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickLaguna M.1 (free)Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputLaguna M.1 (free)$0$2
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputLaguna M.1 (free)$0$2.02
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputLaguna M.1 (free)$0$9.22
Cheaper input Laguna M.1 (free) $0 vs $0.22 / 1M

Laguna M.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B costs $0.22 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Laguna M.1 (free) $0 vs $1.8 / 1M

Laguna M.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B costs $1.8 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B 262.14K vs 1.05M

Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B has 786.43K more context (4x larger).

Sample workload Laguna M.1 (free) $0 vs $1.12

Laguna M.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.12.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
Laguna M.1 (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost
Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

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

Verdict

Laguna M.1 (free) has the lower input price; Laguna M.1 (free) has the lower output price; Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B offers the larger 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 $1.12 for Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B.

Best Fit

Choose Laguna M.1 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Choose Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B when you care most about larger context window.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.12 for Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B, saving $1.12 (100% lower).
  • Laguna M.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.12.
  • Laguna M.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B costs $0.22 per 1M tokens.
  • Laguna M.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B costs $1.8 per 1M tokens.
  • Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureNewLaguna M.1 (free)
(Poolside)
Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B
(Qwen)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M
$0$0.22
Completion Price
per 1M tokens
$0$1.8
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output
$0$1.12
Context Window262.14K1.05M
Release Date
Popularity#21#97

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionLaguna M.1 (free)On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna M.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.12 for Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B, saving $1.12 (100% lower).
High-volume input processingLaguna M.1 (free)Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsLaguna M.1 (free)Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workQwen3 Coder 480B A35BA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

Open provider hubs

Poolside catalog

Review all tracked Poolside models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

Open Poolside models

Qwen catalog

Check other Qwen models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Qwen models
Laguna M.1 (free)

Laguna M.1 is the flagship coding agent model from [Poolside](https://poolside.ai), optimized for complex software engineering tasks. Designed for agentic coding workflows, it supports tool calling and reasoning, with a 128K...

Qwen3 Coder 480B A35B

Qwen3-Coder-480B-A35B-Instruct is a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) code generation model developed by the Qwen team. It is optimized for agentic coding tasks such as function calling, tool use, and long-context reasoning over...