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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Laguna XS 2.1 vs Seed 1.6 Flash

Seed 1.6 Flash comes out ahead, 78 to 68 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. 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
  2. Our pick

    ByteDance Seed

    Seed 1.6 Flash

    Released Aug 28, 2025

    78/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.022 / $0.223
    • Context256K
    Full specs Remove Seed 1.6 Flash

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Seed 1.6 Flash is our pick

Seed 1.6 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 78/100 against Laguna XS 2.1 (68). It leads 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 priceSeed 1.6 FlashSeed 1.6 Flash $0.072 · Laguna XS 2.1 $0.075 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextLaguna XS 2.1Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 · Seed 1.6 Flash 256,000 tokens
  • Widest inputsSeed 1.6 FlashLaguna XS 2.1: Text · Seed 1.6 Flash: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingLaguna XS 2.1Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightLaguna XS 2.1Seed 1.6 Flash
Price50%100100
Inputs & features30%3570
Context window20%3736
Overall100%68/10078/100

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 XS 2.1 vs Seed 1.6 Flash specifications side by side
SpecificationLaguna XS 2.1PoolsideSeed 1.6 FlashByteDance Seed
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$0.06$0.022 (best)
Output$0.12 (best)$0.223
Cached input—$0.0044
Blended (3:1)$0.075$0.072 (best)
Long-context rateSame rateOver 32K: $0.045 / $0.445
Price sourceMedian of 1 providersOfficial Volcengine Ark API
Limits
Context window262,144 tokens (best)256,000 tokens
Max output32,768 tokens (best)32,000 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesNoYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoYes
Availability
WeightsOpenProprietary
API model IDpoolside/laguna-xs-2.1doubao-seed-1-6-flash-250828
API providers4 (best)2
ReleasedJul 2, 2026Aug 28, 2025
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 XS 2.1$0.84
  • Seed 1.6 Flash$0.668
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Laguna XS 2.1 or Seed 1.6 Flash?

Seed 1.6 Flash is the better all-round choice, scoring 78/100 against Laguna XS 2.1 (68). It leads 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 XS 2.1 or Seed 1.6 Flash?

Seed 1.6 Flash is cheaper at $0.022 input / $0.223 output per million tokens (official Volcengine Ark API price). 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 $0.072 per million tokens for Seed 1.6 Flash versus $0.075 for Laguna XS 2.1 (1× as much).

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Laguna XS 2.1 has not been scored yet and Seed 1.6 Flash has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Laguna XS 2.1 and Seed 1.6 Flash 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 256,000 for Seed 1.6 Flash. Maximum output per response: Laguna XS 2.1 up to 32,768, Seed 1.6 Flash up to 32,000 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Laguna XS 2.1 accepts text; Seed 1.6 Flash accepts text and images. Seed 1.6 Flash handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Laguna XS 2.1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Seed 1.6 Flash is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Laguna XS 2.1 is the newest, released Jul 2, 2026. Seed 1.6 Flash came out Aug 28, 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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