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Head-to-head comparison

Sonar Pro Search vs Laguna XS 2.1

Sonar Pro Search (Perplexity) and Laguna XS 2.1 (Poolside) compared on the ModelCap Index, API price, context window, provider availability, weight access and every public benchmark board they share. Figures are the same ones shown on the live rankings; nothing here is a hidden score.

Snapshot as of 18 August 2026

As of 18 August 2026, Laguna XS 2.1 holds the stronger ModelCap Index position (#205 vs #234); Laguna XS 2.1 is 125× cheaper per output token ($0.12/1M vs $15.00/1M); and Laguna XS 2.1 offers the longer context window (262K vs 200K tokens).

Which should you choose?

Choose Sonar Pro Search if…

  • ModelCap publishes no field on which Sonar Pro Search leads Laguna XS 2.1 for this pair.

Choose Laguna XS 2.1 if…

  • you want the stronger overall ModelCap Index position — #205 against #234 (4.7 vs 0.0 points).
  • API cost matters — $0.12/1M output tokens against $15.00/1M, about 125× cheaper.
  • your workload is prompt-heavy — input tokens cost $0.06/1M against $3.00/1M.
  • you need the longer context window — 262K tokens against 200K.
  • you want the more recently listed model — Laguna XS 2.1 was listed 2 July 2026, Sonar Pro Search 30 October 2025.

Sonar Pro Search vs Laguna XS 2.1: specs, pricing and context

Specification comparison of Sonar Pro Search and Laguna XS 2.1
FieldSonar Pro SearchPerplexityLaguna XS 2.1Poolside
ModelCap Index position#234#205
Index score0.04.7
EvidenceEstimatedEstimated
Input price / 1M tokens$3.00$0.06
Output price / 1M tokens$15.00$0.12
Context window200K tokens262K tokens
Max output tokens8K33K
API providers listed11
Weight accessAPI onlyRestricted license
Input modalitiesText, ImageText
First listed30 October 20252 July 2026
PublisherPerplexityPoolside

Evidence: publisher corpus prior · leave-one-anchor-out calibrated · placed against measured peers on publisher-reported benchmarks, discounted for self-report optimism. Prices are the lowest listed API offer per million tokens observed on the OpenRouter catalogue.

Benchmark scores: Sonar Pro Search vs Laguna XS 2.1

Neither model has a published result on a public benchmark board ModelCap tracks yet.

Scores are the sources' own published figures for each model's best evaluated configuration; ModelCap never re-runs a benchmark.

Want a different pairing? Open the interactive comparison tool to swap either model for any current ranked language model.

Sonar Pro Search vs Laguna XS 2.1: common questions

Is Sonar Pro Search better than Laguna XS 2.1?

Laguna XS 2.1 ranks higher on the ModelCap Index as of 18 August 2026: #205 against #234. That is a capability ranking built from public benchmark evidence with published uncertainty; whether it is "better" for you also depends on price, context and where you can run it.

Is Sonar Pro Search cheaper than Laguna XS 2.1?

Laguna XS 2.1 is cheaper on output tokens: $0.12/1M against $15.00/1M. Input tokens are $3.00/1M for Sonar Pro Search and $0.06/1M for Laguna XS 2.1. Prices are the lowest listed API offer ModelCap observed, in USD per million tokens.

Which has the bigger context window, Sonar Pro Search or Laguna XS 2.1?

Laguna XS 2.1 has the larger context window: 262K tokens against 200K.

Which is better for coding, Sonar Pro Search or Laguna XS 2.1?

The two models do not share a coding benchmark board on ModelCap yet, so no head-to-head coding score is published; the ModelCap Index position is the closest overall signal.

Are Sonar Pro Search and Laguna XS 2.1 open-weight models?

Sonar Pro Search: API only. Laguna XS 2.1: Restricted license. Open weights mean the checkpoint can be downloaded and self-hosted under its licence; API-only models are available solely through hosted endpoints.

Where can I run Sonar Pro Search and Laguna XS 2.1?

ModelCap currently lists 1 API provider for Sonar Pro Search and 1 for Laguna XS 2.1, from the OpenRouter catalogue snapshot the site serves; each model page lists the providers and their prices.

How current is this Sonar Pro Search vs Laguna XS 2.1 comparison?

Every figure comes from the sealed ModelCap dataset published 18 August 2026; the page re-renders within a minute of each data refresh, and the ModelCap Index positions are the same ones shown on the live rankings.

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