Gemma 4 E2B IT vs Granite-4.0-H-Micro vs Laguna XS 2.1
Gemma 4 E2B IT comes out ahead, 79 to 68 and 65 on our weighted score, though Granite-4.0-H-Micro is 46% cheaper per token.
- Our pick
GoogleGemma 4 E2B IT
79/100- ECI—
- Price$0.07 / $0.09
- Context131K
IBMGranite-4.0-H-Micro
65/100- ECI—
- Price$0.017 / $0.112
- 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 Laguna XS 2.1 (68) and Granite-4.0-H-Micro (65). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna XS 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 priceGranite-4.0-H-MicroGranite-4.0-H-Micro $0.041 · Gemma 4 E2B IT $0.075 · Laguna XS 2.1 $0.075 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextLaguna XS 2.1Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 · Gemma 4 E2B IT 131,072 · Granite-4.0-H-Micro 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsGemma 4 E2B ITGemma 4 E2B IT: Text, Images, Audio · Granite-4.0-H-Micro: Text · Laguna XS 2.1: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Gemma 4 E2B IT | Granite-4.0-H-Micro | Laguna XS 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 35 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 24 | 24 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 79/100 | 65/100 | 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 E2B ITGoogle | Granite-4.0-H-MicroIBM | Laguna XS 2.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | |||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | |||
| Input | $0.07 | $0.017 (best) | $0.06 |
| Output | $0.09 (best) | $0.112 | $0.12 |
| Cached input | — | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.075 | $0.041 (best) | $0.075 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 2 providers | Median of 1 providers | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 131,072 tokens | 262,144 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 8,192 tokens | 131,072 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | Yes | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | Yes | No |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Open | Open |
| API model ID | — | — | poolside/laguna-xs-2.1 |
| API providers | 2 | 1 | 4 (best) |
| Released | Apr 2, 2026 | Oct 2, 2025 | 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 E2B IT$0.88
- Granite-4.0-H-Micro$0.394
- Laguna XS 2.1$0.84
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Gemma 4 E2B IT, Granite-4.0-H-Micro or Laguna XS 2.1?
Gemma 4 E2B IT is the better all-round choice, scoring 79/100 against Laguna XS 2.1 (68) and Granite-4.0-H-Micro (65). It leads on inputs & features. Laguna XS 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 E2B IT, Granite-4.0-H-Micro or Laguna XS 2.1?
Granite-4.0-H-Micro is cheaper at $0.017 input / $0.112 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider). Gemma 4 E2B IT costs $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). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.041 per million tokens for Granite-4.0-H-Micro versus $0.075 for Gemma 4 E2B IT (1.8× as much) and $0.075 for Laguna XS 2.1 (1.8× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Gemma 4 E2B IT has not been scored yet, Granite-4.0-H-Micro 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 E2B IT, Granite-4.0-H-Micro 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?
Laguna XS 2.1 has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 131,072 for Gemma 4 E2B IT and 131,072 for Granite-4.0-H-Micro. Maximum output per response: Gemma 4 E2B IT up to 8,192, Granite-4.0-H-Micro up to 131,072, Laguna XS 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Gemma 4 E2B IT accepts text, images and audio; Granite-4.0-H-Micro accepts text; 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 E2B IT came out Apr 2, 2026; Granite-4.0-H-Micro came out Oct 2, 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.
