Laguna M.1 vs Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B vs North Mini Code
North Mini Code comes out ahead, 41 to 36 and 35 on our weighted score.
PoolsideLaguna M.1
36/100- ECI—
- PriceFree / Free
- Context262K
NVIDIANemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B
35/100- ECI—
- Price—
- Context256K
- Our pick
CohereNorth Mini Code
41/100- ECI—
- PriceFree / Free
- Context256K
North Mini Code is our pick
North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 41/100 against Laguna M.1 (36) and Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B (35). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. 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 priceLaguna M.1 and North Mini CodeLaguna M.1 Free · North Mini Code Free per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B unpriced
- Longest contextLaguna M.1Laguna M.1 262,144 · Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B 256,000 · North Mini Code 256,000 tokens
- Widest inputsSame inputsLaguna M.1: Text · Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B: Text · North Mini Code: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Laguna M.1 | Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B | North Mini Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inputs & features | 60% | 35 | 35 | 45 |
| Context window | 40% | 37 | 36 | 36 |
| Overall | 100% | 36/100 | 35/100 | 41/100 |
Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.
Every spec in one table
Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.
| Specification | Laguna M.1Poolside | Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3BNVIDIA | North Mini CodeCohere |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Poolside API | — | Official Cohere API |
| Limits | |||
| Context window | 262,144 tokens (best) | 256,000 tokens | 256,000 tokens |
| Max output | 32,768 tokens | 32,768 tokens | 64,000 tokens (best) |
| Inputs and features | |||
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Images | No | No | No |
| PDFs | No | No | No |
| Audio | No | No | No |
| Video | No | No | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes | Yeshigh |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | No | No | Yes |
| Availability | |||
| Weights | Open | Open | Open |
| API model ID | poolside/laguna-m.1 | — | north-mini-code-1-0 |
| API providers | 2 | — | 2 |
| Released | Apr 28, 2026 | Mar 24, 2026 | Jun 9, 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff | — | — | Sep 23, 2025 |
What would a month cost?
Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.
- Laguna M.1Free
- Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B—
- North Mini CodeFree
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Laguna M.1, Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B or North Mini Code?
North Mini Code is the better all-round choice, scoring 41/100 against Laguna M.1 (36) and Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B (35). It leads on inputs & features. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.
Which is cheaper, Laguna M.1, Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B or North Mini Code?
Laguna M.1 is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Poolside API price). North Mini Code costs Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Cohere API price). Laguna M.1 is listed as free. Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B has no published per-token price.
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers all three models yet. Laguna M.1 has not been scored yet, Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B has not been scored yet and North Mini Code has not been scored yet.
Which is better for coding?
There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Laguna M.1, Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B and North Mini Code 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 M.1 has the largest context window at 262,144 tokens, against 256,000 for Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B and 256,000 for North Mini Code. Maximum output per response: Laguna M.1 up to 32,768, Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B up to 32,768, North Mini Code up to 64,000 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Laguna M.1 accepts text; Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B accepts text; North Mini Code accepts text. They handle the same number of input types.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, all three publish their weights, so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
North Mini Code is the newest, released Jun 9, 2026. Laguna M.1 came out Apr 28, 2026; Nemotron Cascade 2 30B A3B came out Mar 24, 2026. Knowledge cutoff: North Mini Code Sep 23, 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.
