ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Gemma 4 12B IT vs Laguna S 2.1

Gemma 4 12B IT comes out ahead, 75 to 69 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    Google

    Gemma 4 12B IT

    Released Jun 9, 2026

    75/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.075 / $0.275
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Gemma 4 12B IT

  2. Poolside

    Laguna S 2.1

    Released Jul 21, 2026

    69/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.20
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove Laguna S 2.1

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

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). 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 priceSame priceGemma 4 12B IT $0.125 · Laguna S 2.1 $0.125 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextLaguna S 2.1Laguna S 2.1 1,048,576 · Gemma 4 12B IT 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsGemma 4 12B ITGemma 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
MeasureWeightGemma 4 12B ITLaguna S 2.1
Price50%9393
Inputs & features30%7035
Context window20%3761
Overall100%75/10069/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability. 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.

Gemma 4 12B IT vs Laguna S 2.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationGemma 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 rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 2 providersMedian of 4 providers
Limits
Context window262,144 tokens1,048,576 tokens (best)
Max output32,768 tokens32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model ID—poolside/laguna-s-2.1
API providers26 (best)
ReleasedJun 9, 2026Jul 21, 2026
Knowledge cutoff——
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.

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

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Gemma 4 12B IT or Laguna S 2.1?

Gemma 4 12B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 75/100 against Laguna S 2.1 (69). 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 or Laguna S 2.1?

Gemma 4 12B IT and Laguna S 2.1 cost the same: $0.075 input / $0.275 output per million tokens.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models 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 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. Both 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. Maximum output per response: 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?

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

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both 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.

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

Related comparisons