Qwen3.8 Flash Next vs Laguna XS 2.1
Too close to call on our weighted score (Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70, Laguna XS 2.1 68). The right pick depends on what you value most.
Alibaba (Qwen)Qwen3.8 Flash Next
70/100- ECI—
- Price$0.20 / $0.50
- Context262K
PoolsideLaguna XS 2.1
68/100- ECI—
- Price$0.06 / $0.12
- Context262K
Add a model
Make it a three-way comparison.
Too close to call
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100, Laguna XS 2.1 68/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Laguna XS 2.1 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 priceLaguna XS 2.1Laguna XS 2.1 $0.075 · Qwen3.8 Flash Next $0.275 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
- Longest contextAbout the sameQwen3.8 Flash Next 262,144 · Laguna XS 2.1 262,144 tokens
- Widest inputsQwen3.8 Flash NextQwen3.8 Flash Next: Text, Images, Video · Laguna XS 2.1: Text
- Self-hostingAll open weightsEvery model here can be downloaded and run on your own hardware
| Measure | Weight | Qwen3.8 Flash Next | Laguna XS 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 50% | 76 | 100 |
| Inputs & features | 30% | 80 | 35 |
| Context window | 20% | 37 | 37 |
| Overall | 100% | 70/100 | 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 | Qwen3.8 Flash NextAlibaba (Qwen) | Laguna XS 2.1Poolside |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | ||
| Capabilities Index (ECI) | — | — |
| ECI rank | — | — |
| Price per million tokens | ||
| Input | $0.20 | $0.06 (best) |
| Output | $0.50 | $0.12 (best) |
| Cached input | — | — |
| Blended (3:1) | $0.275 | $0.075 (best) |
| Long-context rate | Same rate | Same rate |
| Price source | Median of 5 providers | Median of 1 providers |
| Limits | ||
| Context window | 262,144 tokens | 262,144 tokens |
| Max output | 131,072 tokens (best) | 32,768 tokens |
| Inputs and features | ||
| Text | Yes | Yes |
| Images | Yes | No |
| PDFs | No | No |
| Audio | No | No |
| Video | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | Yes |
| Tool calling | Yes | Yes |
| Structured output | Yes | No |
| Availability | ||
| Weights | Openqwen-community-1.0 | Open |
| API model ID | — | poolside/laguna-xs-2.1 |
| API providers | 5 (best) | 4 |
| Released | Aug 27, 2026 | Jul 2, 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.
- Qwen3.8 Flash Next$3.00
- Laguna XS 2.1$0.84
Which should you choose?
Which is better: Qwen3.8 Flash Next or Laguna XS 2.1?
It is close. Our weighted score puts them within 2 points (Qwen3.8 Flash Next 70/100, Laguna XS 2.1 68/100), so choose by what matters most for your work: Laguna XS 2.1 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, Qwen3.8 Flash Next or Laguna XS 2.1?
Laguna XS 2.1 is cheaper at $0.06 input / $0.12 output per million tokens (median across 1 API provider; free on Poolside). Qwen3.8 Flash Next costs $0.20 input / $0.50 output per million tokens (median across 5 API providers). At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.075 per million tokens for Laguna XS 2.1 versus $0.275 for Qwen3.8 Flash Next (3.7× as much).
Which scores higher on benchmarks?
There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3.8 Flash Next 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 Qwen3.8 Flash Next 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?
Qwen3.8 Flash Next and Laguna XS 2.1 share the same 262,144-token context window. Maximum output per response: Qwen3.8 Flash Next up to 131,072, Laguna XS 2.1 up to 32,768 tokens.
Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?
Qwen3.8 Flash Next accepts text, images and video; Laguna XS 2.1 accepts text. Qwen3.8 Flash Next handles the widest range of inputs.
Are any of these open source?
Yes, both publish their weights (qwen-community-1.0), so you can self-host them.
Which is newer?
Qwen3.8 Flash Next is the newest, released Aug 27, 2026. Laguna XS 2.1 came out Jul 2, 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.
