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Comparison · 3 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT vs Gemma 4 12B IT vs Laguna S 2.1

Gemma 4 12B IT comes out ahead, 57 to 51 and 45 on our weighted score.

  1. Google

    DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    51/100
    • ECI—
    • Price—
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT
  2. Our pick

    Google

    Gemma 4 12B IT

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    57/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.075 / $0.275
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 4 12B IT

  3. Poolside

    Laguna S 2.1

    Released Jul 21, 2026

    45/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.20
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove Laguna S 2.1
01 — Verdict

Gemma 4 12B IT is our pick

Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT (51) and Laguna S 2.1 (45). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna S 2.1 wins on context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceGemma 4 12B IT and Laguna S 2.1Gemma 4 12B IT $0.125 · Laguna S 2.1 $0.125 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT unpriced
  • Longest contextLaguna S 2.1Laguna S 2.1 1,048,576 · DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT 262,144 · Gemma 4 12B IT 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsDiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT and Gemma 4 12B ITDiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT: Text, Images · Gemma 4 12B IT: Text, Images · Laguna S 2.1: Text
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightDiffusionGemma 26B A4B ITGemma 4 12B ITLaguna S 2.1
Inputs & features60%607035
Context window40%373761
Overall100%51/10057/10045/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT vs Gemma 4 12B IT vs Laguna S 2.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationDiffusionGemma 26B A4B ITGoogleGemma 4 12B ITGoogleLaguna S 2.1Poolside
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)———
ECI rank———
Price per million tokens
Input—$0.075 (best)$0.10
Output—$0.275$0.20 (best)
Cached input———
Blended (3:1)—$0.125$0.125
Long-context rate—Same rateSame rate
Price source—Median of 2 providersMedian of 4 providers
Limits
Context window262,144 tokens262,144 tokens1,048,576 tokens (best)
Max output32,768 tokens32,768 tokens32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYesYes
ImagesYesYesNo
PDFsNoNoNo
AudioNoNoNo
VideoNoNoNo
ReasoningYesYesYes
Tool callingYesYesYes
Structured outputNoYesNo
Availability
WeightsOpenApache 2.0OpenOpen
API model ID——poolside/laguna-s-2.1
API providers126 (best)
ReleasedJun 9, 2026Jun 9, 2026Jul 21, 2026
Knowledge cutoffJan 2025——
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT—
  • Gemma 4 12B IT$1.30
  • Laguna S 2.1$1.40
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 12B IT or Laguna S 2.1?

Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 57/100 against DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT (51) and Laguna S 2.1 (45). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna S 2.1 wins on context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 12B IT or Laguna S 2.1?

Gemma 4 12B IT is cheaper at $0.075 input / $0.275 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). Laguna S 2.1 costs $0.10 input / $0.20 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers; free on Poolside). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.125 per million tokens for Gemma 4 12B IT versus $0.125 for Laguna S 2.1 (1× as much). DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT has no published per-token price.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT has not been scored yet, Gemma 4 12B IT has not been scored yet and Laguna S 2.1 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 12B IT and Laguna S 2.1 yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. All three support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

Laguna S 2.1 has the largest context window at 1,048,576 tokens, against 262,144 for DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT and 262,144 for Gemma 4 12B IT. Maximum output per response: DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT up to 32,768, Gemma 4 12B IT up to 32,768, Laguna S 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT accepts text and images; Gemma 4 12B IT accepts text and images; Laguna S 2.1 accepts text. DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, all three publish their weights (Apache 2.0), so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Laguna S 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 21, 2026. DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT came out Jun 9, 2026; Gemma 4 12B IT came out Jun 9, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: DiffusionGemma 26B A4B IT Jan 2025.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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