Gemma 4 26B A4B IT vs Gemma 4 E2B IT vs Laguna XS 2.1
Gemma 4 E2B IT comes out ahead, 79 to 71 and 68 on our weighted score.
GoogleGemma 4 26B A4B IT
71/100- ECI141.9
- Price$0.10 / $0.38
- Context262K
- Our pickGoogle
Gemma 4 E2B IT
79/100- ECI—
- Price$0.07 / $0.09
- Context131K
PoolsideLaguna XS 2.1
68/100- ECI—
- Price$0.06 / $0.12
- Context262K
Gemma 4 E2B IT is our pick
Gemma 4 E2B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 79/100 against Gemma 4 26B A4B IT (71) and Laguna XS 2.1 (68). It leads on inputs & features. 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 E2B IT and Laguna XS 2.1Gemma 4 E2B IT $0.075 · Laguna XS 2.1 $0.075 · Gemma 4 26B A4B IT $0.17 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextGemma 4 26B A4B IT and Laguna XS 2.1Gemma 4 26B A4B IT 262,144 · Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 · Gemma 4 E2B IT 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGemma 4 E2B ITGemma 4 26B A4B IT: Text, Images · Gemma 4 E2B IT: Text, Images, Audio · Laguna XS 2.1: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Gemma 4 26B A4B IT | Gemma 4 E2B IT | Laguna XS 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 86 | 100 | 100 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 70 | 80 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 37 | 24 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 71/100 | 79/100 | 68/100 |
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 26B A4B ITGoogle | Gemma 4 E2B ITGoogle | Laguna XS 2.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | 141.9 | — | — |
| ECI rank | #93 of 148 | — | — |
| GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions | 73.2% | — | — |
| OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics | 82.2% | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.10 | $0.07 | $0.06 (best) |
| Output | $0.38 | $0.09 (best) | $0.12 |
| Cached input | — | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.17 | $0.075 (best) | $0.075 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 23 providers | Median of 2 providers | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 262,144 tokens (best) | 131,072 tokens | 262,144 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens (best) | 8,192 tokens | 32,768 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | Yes | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Open | Open |
| API model ID | gemma-4-26b-a4b-it | — | poolside/laguna-xs-2.1 |
| API providers | 26 (best) | 2 | 4 |
| Released | Apr 2, 2026 | Apr 2, 2026 | Jul 2, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — | — |
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 26B A4B IT$1.76
- Gemma 4 E2B IT$0.88
- Laguna XS 2.1$0.84
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemma 4 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 E2B IT or Laguna XS 2.1?
Gemma 4 E2B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 79/100 against Gemma 4 26B A4B IT (71) and Laguna XS 2.1 (68). It leads on inputs & features. 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 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 E2B IT or Laguna XS 2.1?
Gemma 4 E2B IT is cheaper at $0.07 input / $0.09 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers). Laguna XS 2.1 costs $0.06 input / $0.12 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider; free on Poolside); Gemma 4 26B A4B IT costs $0.10 input / $0.38 output per million tokens (median across 23 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.075 per million tokens for Gemma 4 E2B IT versus $0.075 for Laguna XS 2.1 (1× as much) and $0.17 for Gemma 4 26B A4B IT (2.3× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Gemma 4 26B A4B IT has an ECI of 141.9, Gemma 4 E2B IT has not been scored yet and Laguna XS 2.1 has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Gemma 4 26B A4B IT, Gemma 4 E2B IT and Laguna XS 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?
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT and Laguna XS 2.1 have the largest context windows (262,144 and 262,144 tokens), against 131,072 for Gemma 4 E2B IT. Maximum output per response: Gemma 4 26B A4B IT up to 32,768, Gemma 4 E2B IT up to 8,192, Laguna XS 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemma 4 26B A4B IT accepts text and images; Gemma 4 E2B IT accepts text, images and audio; Laguna XS 2.1 accepts text. Gemma 4 E2B 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 XS 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 2, 2026. Gemma 4 26B A4B IT came out Apr 2, 2026; Gemma 4 E2B IT came out Apr 2, 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.
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