ZMIME
Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Laguna S 2.1 vs MiniMax-M3

Laguna S 2.1 comes out ahead, 69 to 65 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Our pick

    Poolside

    Laguna S 2.1

    Released Jul 21, 2026

    69/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.10 / $0.20
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove Laguna S 2.1

  2. MiniMax

    MiniMax-M3

    Released Jun 1, 2026

    65/100
    • ECI147.0
    • Price$0.30 / $1.20
    • Context1.05M
    Full specs Remove MiniMax-M3

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Laguna S 2.1 is our pick

Laguna S 2.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 69/100 against MiniMax-M3 (65). It leads on price. MiniMax-M3 wins on inputs & features. 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 priceLaguna S 2.1Laguna S 2.1 $0.125 · MiniMax-M3 $0.525 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextAbout the sameLaguna S 2.1 1,048,576 · MiniMax-M3 1,048,576 tokens
  • Widest inputsMiniMax-M3Laguna S 2.1: Text · MiniMax-M3: Text, Images, Video
  • Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
How the score is built
MeasureWeightLaguna S 2.1MiniMax-M3
Price50%9363
Inputs & features30%3570
Context window20%6161
Overall100%69/10065/100

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.

Laguna S 2.1 vs MiniMax-M3 specifications side by side
SpecificationLaguna S 2.1PoolsideMiniMax-M3MiniMax
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)—147.0
ECI rank—#62 of 148
GPQA DiamondGraduate-level science questions—90.9%
OTIS Mock AIME 2024–2025Competition mathematics—71.1%
Price per million tokens
Input$0.10 (best)$0.30
Output$0.20 (best)$1.20
Cached input—$0.06
Blended (3:1)$0.125 (best)$0.525
Long-context rateSame rateOver 512K: $0.60 / $2.40
Price sourceMedian of 4 providersOfficial MiniMax (minimax.io) API
Limits
Context window1,048,576 tokens1,048,576 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens512,000 tokens (best)
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoYes
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsOpenOpen
API model IDpoolside/laguna-s-2.1MiniMax-M3
API providers642 (best)
ReleasedJul 21, 2026Jun 1, 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.

  • Laguna S 2.1$1.40
  • MiniMax-M3$5.40
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Laguna S 2.1 or MiniMax-M3?

Laguna S 2.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 69/100 against MiniMax-M3 (65). It leads on price. MiniMax-M3 wins on inputs & features. 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, Laguna S 2.1 or MiniMax-M3?

Laguna S 2.1 is cheaper at $0.10 input / $0.20 output per million tokens (median across 4 API providers; free on Poolside). MiniMax-M3 costs $0.30 input / $1.20 output per million tokens (official MiniMax (minimax.io) API price). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.125 per million tokens for Laguna S 2.1 versus $0.525 for MiniMax-M3 (4.2× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Laguna S 2.1 has not been scored yet and MiniMax-M3 has an ECI of 147.0.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Laguna S 2.1 and MiniMax-M3 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 and MiniMax-M3 share the same 1,048,576-token context window. Maximum output per response: Laguna S 2.1 up to 32,768, MiniMax-M3 up to 512,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Laguna S 2.1 accepts text; MiniMax-M3 accepts text, images and video. MiniMax-M3 handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

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

Which is newer?

Laguna S 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 21, 2026. MiniMax-M3 came out Jun 1, 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 Oct 4, 2026.

05 — Keep comparing

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