API cost decision in 10 seconds

NewSolar Mini 4 vs Laguna XS 2.1

Pick Laguna XS 2.1 for lower cost; pick Solar Mini 4 only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated: 2026-09-23T11:07:57Z Data confirmed: 2026-09-23T12:07:51Z Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Laguna XS 2.1 for lower cost; pick Solar Mini 4 only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS 2.1 is estimated at $0.12 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.03 (20% lower).

Cost-first pickLaguna XS 2.1

Context-first pickSolar Mini 4

Sample savings$0.0320%

10x traffic gap$0.3

Solar Mini 4 has more context, but Laguna XS 2.1 saves $0.03 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $0.3. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Cost winner changes by workload shape: input-heavy / RAG favors Solar Mini 4, balanced workload favors Laguna XS 2.1, and output-heavy chatbot favors Laguna XS 2.1.

Workload shape	Token mix	Better pick	Solar Mini 4	Laguna XS 2.1
Input-heavy / RAG	5M input + 500K output	Solar Mini 4	$0.35	$0.36
Balanced workload	1M input + 1M output	Laguna XS 2.1	$0.25	$0.18
Output-heavy chatbot	1M input + 5M output	Laguna XS 2.1	$1.05	$0.66

Cheaper input Solar Mini 4 $0.05 vs $0.06 / 1M

Solar Mini 4 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).

Cheaper output Laguna XS 2.1 $0.2 vs $0.12 / 1M

Laguna XS 2.1 is $0.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).

Larger context Solar Mini 4 524.29K vs 262.14K

Solar Mini 4 has 262.14K more context (2x larger).

Sample workload Laguna XS 2.1 $0.15 vs $0.12

Laguna XS 2.1 is $0.03 cheaper on the standard workload (20% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.

Monthly input tokens Monthly output tokens

Solar Mini 4 Calculating… Estimated API cost

Laguna XS 2.1 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

Solar Mini 4 has the lower input price; Laguna XS 2.1 has the lower output price; Solar Mini 4 offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Laguna XS 2.1 is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $0.15 for Solar Mini 4 and $0.12 for Laguna XS 2.1.

Best Fit

Choose Solar Mini 4 when you care most about lower input-token price, and larger context window.

Choose Laguna XS 2.1 when you care most about lower output-token price.

Decision Notes

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS 2.1 is estimated at $0.12 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.03 (20% lower).
Laguna XS 2.1 is $0.03 cheaper on the standard workload (20% lower).
Solar Mini 4 is $0.01 cheaper per 1M input tokens (16.7% lower; 1.2x difference).
Laguna XS 2.1 is $0.08 cheaper per 1M output tokens (40% lower; 1.67x difference).
Solar Mini 4 has 262.14K more context (2x larger).

Head-to-Head Specs

Feature	NewSolar Mini 4 (Upstage)	Laguna XS 2.1 (Poolside)
Input Price prompt tokens per 1M	$0.05	$0.06
Completion Price per 1M tokens	$0.2	$0.12
Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output	$0.15	$0.12
Context Window	524.29K	262.14K
Release Date	2026-09-23	2026-07-02

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use case	Better pick	Why
Budget-constrained production	Laguna XS 2.1	On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Laguna XS 2.1 is estimated at $0.12 vs $0.15 for Solar Mini 4, saving $0.03 (20% lower).
High-volume input processing	Solar Mini 4	Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbots	Laguna XS 2.1	Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document work	Solar Mini 4	A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps

Laguna S 2.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Laguna XS 2.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Laguna XS.2 (free) can replace Laguna XS 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
Laguna M.1 (free) can replace Laguna XS 2.1 when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.

Larger context near this budget

GPT-6 Luna Pro (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
GPT-6 Luna (batch) offers 1.05M context with $0.17 sample workload cost.
Owl Alpha offers 1.05M context with $0 sample workload cost.
DeepSeek V4 Flash 0423 offers 1.05M context with $0.18 sample workload cost.

Popular competitors

MiMo-V2.6-Pro · Xiaomi · #1
GLM 5.3 Flash · Z.ai · #2
DeepSeek V4.1 Flash · DeepSeek · #3
Hy4 preview · Tencent · #4

Cheaper alternatives

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Larger context alternatives

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Provider catalogs

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

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Upstage catalog

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

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Poolside catalog

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

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Solar Mini 4

Solar Mini 4 is Upstage's compact, cost-efficient language model, a 35B-parameter mixture-of-experts with 3B active parameters and a 524K context window. It is built for agentic use cases where response...

Laguna XS 2.1

Laguna XS 2.1 is the latest coding agent model in the 33B-A3B category from [Poolside](https://poolside.ai/) and a step forward from their Laguna XS.2 model (released in April 2026). It combines...