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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Granite-4.0-H-Micro vs Laguna XS 2.1

Too close to call on our weighted score (Laguna XS 2.1 68, Granite-4.0-H-Micro 65). The right pick depends on what you value most.

  1. IBM

    Granite-4.0-H-Micro

    Released Oct 2, 2025

    65/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.017 / $0.112
    • Context131K
    Full specs Remove Granite-4.0-H-Micro

  2. Poolside

    Laguna XS 2.1

    Released Jul 2, 2026

    68/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.06 / $0.12
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Laguna XS 2.1

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Too close to call

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Laguna XS 2.1 68/100, Granite-4.0-H-Micro 65/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Granite-4.0-H-Micro 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 priceGranite-4.0-H-MicroGranite-4.0-H-Micro $0.041 · Laguna XS 2.1 $0.075 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextLaguna XS 2.1Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 · Granite-4.0-H-Micro 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputsGranite-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
How the score is built
MeasureWeightGranite-4.0-H-MicroLaguna XS 2.1
Price50%100100
Inputs & features30%3535
Context window20%2437
Overall100%65/10068/100

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.

Granite-4.0-H-Micro vs Laguna XS 2.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationGranite-4.0-H-MicroIBMLaguna XS 2.1Poolside
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.017 (best)$0.06
Output$0.112 (best)$0.12
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$0.041 (best)$0.075
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 1 providersMedian of 1 providers
Limits
Context window131,072 tokens262,144 tokens (best)
Max output131,072 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningNoYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputYesNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model ID—poolside/laguna-xs-2.1
API providers14 (best)
ReleasedOct 2, 2025Jul 2, 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.

  • Granite-4.0-H-Micro$0.394
  • Laguna XS 2.1$0.84
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Granite-4.0-H-Micro or Laguna XS 2.1?

It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Laguna XS 2.1 68/100, Granite-4.0-H-Micro 65/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Granite-4.0-H-Micro 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, 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). 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 Laguna XS 2.1 (1.8× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models 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 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. 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 Granite-4.0-H-Micro. Maximum output per response: 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?

Granite-4.0-H-Micro accepts text; Laguna XS 2.1 accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Yes, both publish their weights, so you can self-host them.

Which is newer?

Laguna XS 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 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.

05 — Keep comparing

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