Granite 4.2 8B vs Laguna S 2.1
Laguna S 2.1 comes out ahead, 68 to 64 on our weighted score, though Granite 4.2 8B is 27% cheaper per token.
IBMGranite 4.2 8B
64/100- ECI—
- Price$0.06 / $0.15
- Context131K
- Our pick
PoolsideLaguna S 2.1
68/100- ECI—
- Price$0.09 / $0.18
- Context1.05M
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Make it a three-way comparison.
Laguna S 2.1 is our pick
Laguna S 2.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Granite 4.2 8B (64). It leads on context window. Granite 4.2 8B wins on price. 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 4.2 8BGranite 4.2 8B $0.083 · Laguna S 2.1 $0.113 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextLaguna S 2.1Laguna S 2.1 1,048,576 · Granite 4.2 8B 131,072 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsGranite 4.2 8B: Text · Laguna S 2.1: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Granite 4.2 8B | Laguna S 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 97 | 91 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 35 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 25 | 61 |
| Overall | 100% | 64/100 | 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 | Granite 4.2 8BIBM | Laguna S 2.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.06 (best) | $0.09 |
| Output | $0.15 (best) | $0.18 |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.083 (best) | $0.113 |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 7 providers | Median of 2 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 131,072 tokens | 1,048,576 tokens (best) |
| Max output | 117,964 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 | Open | Open |
| API model ID | — | poolside/laguna-s-2.1 |
| API providers | 7 (best) | 4 |
| Released | Aug 25, 2026 | Jul 21, 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.
- Granite 4.2 8B$0.90
- Laguna S 2.1$1.26
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Granite 4.2 8B or Laguna S 2.1?
Laguna S 2.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Granite 4.2 8B (64). It leads on context window. Granite 4.2 8B wins on price. 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 4.2 8B or Laguna S 2.1?
Granite 4.2 8B is cheaper at $0.06 input / $0.15 output per million tokens (median across 7 API providers). Laguna S 2.1 costs $0.09 input / $0.18 output per million tokens (median across 2 API providers; free on Poolside). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.083 per million tokens for Granite 4.2 8B versus $0.113 for Laguna S 2.1 (1.4× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Granite 4.2 8B 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 Granite 4.2 8B 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 131,072 for Granite 4.2 8B. Maximum output per response: Granite 4.2 8B up to 117,964, Laguna S 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Granite 4.2 8B accepts text; Laguna S 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?
Granite 4.2 8B is the newest, released Aug 25, 2026. Laguna S 2.1 came out Jul 21, 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 Nov 2, 2026.
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