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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

Qwen3.8 Max Preview vs Laguna M.1

Laguna M.1 comes out ahead, 68 to 47 on our weighted score, and it is the cheaper option too.

  1. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen3.8 Max Preview

    Released Jul 19, 2026

    47/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$2.00 / $6.00
    • Context1M
    Full specs Remove Qwen3.8 Max Preview
  2. Our pick

    Poolside

    Laguna M.1

    Released Apr 28, 2026

    68/100
    • ECI—
    • PriceFree / Free
    • Context262K
    Full specs Remove Laguna M.1

  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

Laguna M.1 is our pick

Laguna M.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Qwen3.8 Max Preview (47). It leads on price. Qwen3.8 Max Preview wins on inputs & features and context window. 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 M.1Laguna M.1 Free · Qwen3.8 Max Preview $3.00 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend)
  • Longest contextQwen3.8 Max PreviewQwen3.8 Max Preview 1,000,000 · Laguna M.1 262,144 tokens
  • Widest inputsQwen3.8 Max PreviewQwen3.8 Max Preview: Text, Images, Video · Laguna M.1: Text
  • Self-hostingLaguna M.1Publishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeightQwen3.8 Max PreviewLaguna M.1
Price50%27100
Inputs & features30%7035
Context window20%6037
Overall100%47/10068/100

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.

Qwen3.8 Max Preview vs Laguna M.1 specifications side by side
SpecificationQwen3.8 Max PreviewAlibaba (Qwen)Laguna M.1Poolside
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input$2.00Free (best)
Output$6.00Free (best)
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)$3.00Free (best)
Long-context rateSame rateSame rate
Price sourceMedian of 6 providersOfficial Poolside API
Limits
Context window1,000,000 tokens (best)262,144 tokens
Max output131,072 tokens (best)32,768 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesNo
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoYesNo
ReasoningYesYes
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model ID—poolside/laguna-m.1
API providers6 (best)2
ReleasedJul 19, 2026Apr 28, 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.

  • Qwen3.8 Max Preview$32.00
  • Laguna M.1Free
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: Qwen3.8 Max Preview or Laguna M.1?

Laguna M.1 is the better all-round choice, scoring 68/100 against Qwen3.8 Max Preview (47). It leads on price. Qwen3.8 Max Preview wins on inputs & features and context window. 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 Max Preview or Laguna M.1?

Laguna M.1 is cheaper at Free input / Free output per million tokens (official Poolside API price). Qwen3.8 Max Preview costs $2.00 input / $6.00 output per million tokens (median across 6 API providers). Laguna M.1 is listed as free.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. Qwen3.8 Max Preview has not been scored yet and Laguna M.1 has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for Qwen3.8 Max Preview and Laguna M.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 Max Preview has the largest context window at 1,000,000 tokens, against 262,144 for Laguna M.1. Maximum output per response: Qwen3.8 Max Preview up to 131,072, Laguna M.1 up to 32,768 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

Qwen3.8 Max Preview accepts text, images and video; Laguna M.1 accepts text. Qwen3.8 Max Preview handles the widest range of inputs.

Are any of these open source?

Laguna M.1 publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; Qwen3.8 Max Preview is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Qwen3.8 Max Preview is the newest, released Jul 19, 2026. Laguna M.1 came out Apr 28, 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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