Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Inkling Small costs $0.45 per 1M tokens.
API cost decision in 10 seconds
🔥Laguna S 2.1 (free) vs Inkling Small
Pick Laguna S 2.1 (free) for lower cost; pick Inkling Small only if the larger context window matters more.
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Data confirmed:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Laguna S 2.1 (free) for lower cost; pick Inkling Small only if the larger context window matters more.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna S 2.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower).
Cost-first pickLaguna S 2.1 (free)
Context-first pickInkling Small
Sample savings$1.05100%
10x traffic gap$10.5
Inkling Small has more context, but Laguna S 2.1 (free) saves $1.05 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $10.5. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Laguna S 2.1 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | Inkling Small |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | $0 | $2.85 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | $0 | $1.65 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | $0 | $6.45 |
Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Inkling Small costs $1.2 per 1M tokens.
Inkling Small has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.05.
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 S 2.1 (free) has the lower input price; Laguna S 2.1 (free) has the lower output price; Inkling Small offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Laguna S 2.1 (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 S 2.1 (free) and $1.05 for Inkling Small.
Choose Laguna S 2.1 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.
Choose Inkling Small when you care most about larger context window.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna S 2.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower).
- Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $1.05.
- Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for input tokens while Inkling Small costs $0.45 per 1M tokens.
- Laguna S 2.1 (free) is free for output tokens while Inkling Small costs $1.2 per 1M tokens.
- Inkling Small has 786.43K more context (4x larger).
| Feature | 🔥Laguna S 2.1 (free) (Poolside) | Inkling Small (Thinking Machines) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $0 | $0.45 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $0 | $1.2 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $0 | $1.05 |
| Context Window | 262.14K | 1.05M |
| Release Date | ||
| Popularity | #11 |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna S 2.1 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $1.05 for Inkling Small, saving $1.05 (100% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Laguna S 2.1 (free) | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Inkling Small | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Inkling Small (free) can replace Inkling Small when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
- Inkling (free) can replace Inkling Small 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.
- MiMo-V2.5 offers 1.05M context with $0.28 sample workload cost.
- DeepSeek V4 Flash 0731 · DeepSeek · #1
- MiMo-V2.5 · Xiaomi · #2
- Hy3 · Tencent · #3
- Ox Alpha · stealth · #4
Cheaper alternatives
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Open Poolside modelsThinking Machines catalog
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Open Thinking Machines modelsLaguna S 2.1 is the latest coding agent model from [Poolside](<https://poolside.ai/>). Laguna S 2.1 is a 118B total parameter model with 8B active parameters, scoring 70.2% on Terminal-Bench 2.1 and...
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