API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewLaguna XS.2 (free) vs GPT Audio

Pick Laguna XS.2 (free) when budget and context both matter.

Page updated: 2026-05-26T10:03:26Z Data confirmed: 2026-05-26T13:08:02Z 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 $7.5 for GPT Audio, saving $7.5 (100% lower).

Cost-first pickLaguna XS.2 (free)

Context-first pickLaguna XS.2 (free)

Sample savings$7.5100%

10x traffic gap$75

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 $75. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Laguna XS.2 (free) stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Laguna XS.2 (free)	GPT Audio
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Laguna XS.2 (free)	$0	$17.5
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Laguna XS.2 (free)	$0	$12.5
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Laguna XS.2 (free)	$0	$52.5

Cheaper input Laguna XS.2 (free) $0 vs $2.5 / 1M

Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for input tokens while GPT Audio costs $2.5 per 1M tokens.

Cheaper output Laguna XS.2 (free) $0 vs $10 / 1M

Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for output tokens while GPT Audio costs $10 per 1M tokens.

Larger context Laguna XS.2 (free) 131.07K vs 128K

Laguna XS.2 (free) has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).

Sample workload Laguna XS.2 (free) $0 vs $7.5

Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $7.5.

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Laguna XS.2 (free) Calculating… Estimated API cost

GPT Audio 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 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 for Laguna XS.2 (free) and $7.5 for GPT Audio.

Best Fit

Choose Laguna XS.2 (free) when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.

Choose GPT Audio when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS.2 (free) is estimated at $0 vs $7.5 for GPT Audio, saving $7.5 (100% lower).
Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for the standard workload while the other model is estimated at $7.5.
Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for input tokens while GPT Audio costs $2.5 per 1M tokens.
Laguna XS.2 (free) is free for output tokens while GPT Audio costs $10 per 1M tokens.
Laguna XS.2 (free) has 3.07K more context (1.02x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewLaguna XS.2 (free) (Poolside)	GPT Audio (OpenAI)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0	$2.5
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0	$10
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0	$7.5
Context Window	131.07K	128K
Release Date	2026-04-28	2026-01-19

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 $7.5 for GPT Audio, saving $7.5 (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

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT Audio when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.

Larger context near this budget

Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.

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Provider catalogs

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Poolside catalog

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OpenAI catalog

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

Open OpenAI models

Laguna XS.2 (free)

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...

GPT Audio

The gpt-audio model is OpenAI's first generally available audio model. The new snapshot features an upgraded decoder for more natural sounding voices and maintains better voice consistency. Audio is priced...