Gemma 4 12B IT vs Laguna S 2.1 vs Step 3.5 Flash 2603
Gemma 4 12B IT comes out ahead, 75 to 69 and 62 on our weighted score.
- Our pick
GoogleGemma 4 12B IT
75/100- ECI—
- Price$0.075 / $0.275
- Context262K
PoolsideLaguna S 2.1
69/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.20
- Context1.05M
StepFunStep 3.5 Flash 2603
62/100- ECI—
- Price$0.10 / $0.30
- Context256K
Gemma 4 12B IT is our pick
Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 75/100 against Laguna S 2.1 (69) and Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna S 2.1 wins on context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. 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 · Step 3.5 Flash 2603 $0.15 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextLaguna S 2.1Laguna S 2.1 1,048,576 · Gemma 4 12B IT 262,144 · Step 3.5 Flash 2603 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsGemma 4 12B ITGemma 4 12B IT: Text, Images · Laguna S 2.1: Text · Step 3.5 Flash 2603: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Gemma 4 12B IT | Laguna S 2.1 | Step 3.5 Flash 2603 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 93 | 93 | 89 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 35 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 37 | 61 | 36 |
| Overall | 100% | 75/100 | 69/100 | 62/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Gemma 4 12B ITGoogle | Laguna S 2.1Poolside | Step 3.5 Flash 2603StepFun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.075 (best) | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Output | $0.275 | $0.20 (best) | $0.30 |
| Cached input | — | — | $0.02 |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.125 (best) | $0.125 (best) | $0.15 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 2 providers | Median of 4 providers | Official StepFun (Global) API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 262,144 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens (best) | 256,000 tokens |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 32,768 tokens | 256,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes | Yeslow · high |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Open | Open |
| API model ID | — | poolside/laguna-s-2.1 | step-3.5-flash-2603 |
| API providers | 2 | 6 (best) | 3 |
| Released | Jun 9, 2026 | Jul 21, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — | Jan 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Gemma 4 12B IT$1.30
- Laguna S 2.1$1.40
- Step 3.5 Flash 2603$1.60
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemma 4 12B IT, Laguna S 2.1 or Step 3.5 Flash 2603?
Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 75/100 against Laguna S 2.1 (69) and Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (62). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna S 2.1 wins on context window. The score weighs price 50%, inputs & features 30%, context window 20%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Gemma 4 12B IT, Laguna S 2.1 or Step 3.5 Flash 2603?
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); Step 3.5 Flash 2603 costs $0.10 input / $0.30 output per million tokens (official StepFun (Global) API price). 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) and $0.15 for Step 3.5 Flash 2603 (1.2× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Gemma 4 12B IT has not been scored yet, Laguna S 2.1 has not been scored yet and Step 3.5 Flash 2603 has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 4 12B IT, Laguna S 2.1 and Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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 Gemma 4 12B IT and 256,000 for Step 3.5 Flash 2603. Maximum output per response: Gemma 4 12B IT up to 32,768, Laguna S 2.1 up to 32,768, Step 3.5 Flash 2603 up to 256,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemma 4 12B IT accepts text and images; Laguna S 2.1 accepts text; Step 3.5 Flash 2603 accepts text. Gemma 4 12B IT handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, all three publish their weights, so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Laguna S 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 21, 2026. Gemma 4 12B IT came out Jun 9, 2026; Step 3.5 Flash 2603 came out Apr 2, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: Step 3.5 Flash 2603 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.
