Grok 4.5 vs Laguna S 2.1
Grok 4.5 and Laguna S 2.1 are closely matched at 47.0 and 41.4 on the LLM Stats Score. Laguna S 2.1 is 24.0x cheaper per token.
xAI · Poolside · Updated for 2026
Which is better?
Grok 4.5 and Laguna S 2.1 are closely matched on the overall LLM Stats Score at 47.0 and 41.4.
In the 3 individual benchmarks reported for both models, Grok 4.5 wins 3; this is a narrower head-to-head signal than the composite indexes.
On price, Laguna S 2.1 is roughly 24.0x cheaper per token on a blended 3:1 input/output basis, which adds up quickly at production volume.
Laguna S 2.1 also accepts a larger context window (1,048,576 input tokens), making it the stronger choice for long documents and large codebases.
Based on current LLM Stats indexes, shared benchmarks, pricing, and model metadata for 2026.
Choose Grok 4.5
- you value its reported benchmark strengths — it wins 3 of 3 exact shared results
Choose Laguna S 2.1
- cost matters — it's about 24.0x cheaper per token
- you process long inputs — it offers a 1,048,576 token context window
- you want the most recent training data — it shipped Jul 2026
- you need open weights you can self-host or fine-tune
At a glance
The differences that matter most.
Capability indexes
Additional strengths measured across groups of related public benchmarks
Individual benchmarks
14 reported for Grok 4.5 · 6 for Laguna S 2.1
Grok 4.5 outperforms in 3 benchmarks (DeepSWE 1.1, SWE-Bench Pro, Terminal-Bench 2.1), while Laguna S 2.1 is better at 0 benchmarks.
Grok 4.5 significantly outperforms across most benchmarks.
Human preference
Blind head-to-head votes and playground preference scores
Pricing Analysis
Price comparison per million tokens
For input processing, Grok 4.5 ($2.00/1M tokens) is 20.0x more expensive than Laguna S 2.1 ($0.10/1M tokens).
For output processing, Grok 4.5 ($6.00/1M tokens) is 30.0x more expensive than Laguna S 2.1 ($0.20/1M tokens).
In conclusion, Grok 4.5 is more expensive than Laguna S 2.1.*
* Using a 3:1 ratio of input to output tokens
Context Window
Maximum input and output token capacity
Laguna S 2.1 accepts 1,048,576 input tokens compared to Grok 4.5's 500,000 tokens.
Input capabilities
Documented input modalities across available providers
Grok 4.5 supports multimodal inputs, whereas Laguna S 2.1 does not.
Grok 4.5 can handle both text and other forms of data like images, making it suitable for multimodal applications.
Grok 4.5
Laguna S 2.1
License
Usage and distribution terms
Grok 4.5 is licensed under a proprietary license, while Laguna S 2.1 uses OpenMDW License v1.1.
License differences may affect how you can use these models in commercial or open-source projects.
Proprietary
Closed source
OpenMDW License v1.1
Open weights
Release Timeline
When each model was launched
Grok 4.5 was released on 2026-07-16, while Laguna S 2.1 was released on 2026-07-21.
Laguna S 2.1 is 0 month newer than Grok 4.5.
Jul 16, 2026
1 months ago
Jul 21, 2026
1 months ago
5d newerKnowledge Cutoff
When training data ends
Grok 4.5 has a documented knowledge cutoff of 2026-02-01, while Laguna S 2.1's cutoff date is not specified.
We can confirm Grok 4.5's training data extends to 2026-02-01, but cannot make a direct comparison without Laguna S 2.1's cutoff date.
Feb 2026
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Provider Availability
Grok 4.5 is available from xAI. Laguna S 2.1 is available from Poolside.
Grok 4.5
Laguna S 2.1
Outputs Comparison
Judge for yourself.
Run your own prompts against Grok 4.5 and Laguna S 2.1 side-by-side, then vote on the output you prefer.
FAQ
Common questions about Grok 4.5 vs Laguna S 2.1.