GLM-4.5-Flash vs Laguna XS 2.1
Too close to call on our weighted score (Laguna XS 2.1 68, GLM-4.5-Flash 65). The right pick depends on what you value most.
Z.ai (Zhipu)GLM-4.5-Flash
65/100- ECI—
- PriceFree / Free
- Context131K
PoolsideLaguna XS 2.1
68/100- ECI—
- PriceFree / Free
- Context262K
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Laguna XS 2.1 68/100, GLM-4.5-Flash 65/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: GLM-4.5-Flash on price and Laguna XS 2.1 for long inputs. 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 priceGLM-4.5-Flash Free · Laguna XS 2.1 Free per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextLaguna XS 2.1Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 · GLM-4.5-Flash 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGLM-4.5-Flash: Text · Laguna XS 2.1: Text
- Self-hostingLaguna XS 2.1Publishes downloadable weights
| Measure | Weight | GLM-4.5-Flash | Laguna XS 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 100 | 100 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 25 | 37 |
| Overall | 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 | GLM-4.5-FlashZ.ai (Zhipu) | Laguna XS 2.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | Free | Free |
| Output | Free | Free |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | Free | Free |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Official Z.AI API | Official Poolside API |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 262,144 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 98,304 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Proprietary | Open |
| API model ID | glm-4.5-flash | poolside/laguna-xs-2.1 |
| API providers | 5 (best) | 3 |
| Released | Jul 28, 2025 | Jul 2, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | Apr 2025 | — |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- GLM-4.5-FlashFree
- Laguna XS 2.1Free
Which should you choose?
Which is better: GLM-4.5-Flash or Laguna XS 2.1?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Laguna XS 2.1 68/100, GLM-4.5-Flash 65/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: GLM-4.5-Flash on price and Laguna XS 2.1 for long inputs. 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, GLM-4.5-Flash or Laguna XS 2.1?
GLM-4.5-Flash and Laguna XS 2.1 cost the same: Free input / Free output per million tokens.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. GLM-4.5-Flash 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 GLM-4.5-Flash and Laguna XS 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 XS 2.1 has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 131,072 for GLM-4.5-Flash. Maximum output per response: GLM-4.5-Flash up to 98,304, Laguna XS 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
GLM-4.5-Flash accepts text; Laguna XS 2.1 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Laguna XS 2.1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; GLM-4.5-Flash is proprietary.
Which is newer?
Laguna XS 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 2, 2026. GLM-4.5-Flash came out Jul 28, 2025. Knowledge cutoff: GLM-4.5-Flash Apr 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 Nov 2, 2026.
