Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) vs OpenAI: GPT Audio: Live Promos, Pricing, Hidden Fees & Latency
Verified 2026 FinOps benchmark comparing Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) (poolside/laguna-xs-2.1:free) vs OpenAI: GPT Audio (openai/gpt-audio). Simulate cache read multipliers, context cliffs, MAU bills, and P90 latency.
Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) (poolside/laguna-xs-2.1:free) 2026 Q4 Developer Promotion & Volume Credits
Official 2026 Q4 promotion for Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free): Activate ephemeral prefix caching to slash input costs by 50% (down to $0/1M) or route via asynchronous Batch API for 50% off standard token rates.
OpenAI: GPT Audio (openai/gpt-audio) Startup Credits & Batch API 50% Off Promo
OpenAI GPT-6.1 Sol ($2/$10 base rate) qualifies for immediate 75% automatic prefix caching ($0.50/1M), 50% off 24-hour Batch API completions ($1/$5), and up to $150,000 in OpenAI/Azure Foundry credits via Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub (no VC funding required for initial tiers).
In Etuki October 2026 FinOps telemetry comparing Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) (API ID: poolside/laguna-xs-2.1:free) vs OpenAI: GPT Audio (API ID: openai/gpt-audio), Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) offers lower standard input pricing at $0/1M tokens ($0/1M output), while Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) leads in cached prefix economics at $0/1M tokens (50% discount). Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) achieves a 0ms faster P90 time-to-first-token latency (280ms vs 280ms).
Auto-discovered via live global telemetry registry.
Auto-discovered via live global telemetry registry.
| Specification / FinOps Dimension | Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) | OpenAI: GPT Audio | Verified Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official Vendor API ID | poolside/laguna-xs-2.1:free | openai/gpt-audio | Pinned Snapshot IDs |
| Standard Input / Output (per 1M) | $0 / $0 | $2.5 / $10 | Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) |
| Cache Read Price (per 1M) | $0/1M (50% Off) | $1.25/1M (50% Off) | Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) |
| Context Window / Max Output | 256K In / 32K Out | 125K In / 16K Out | Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) |
| P90 First-Token / Edge Latency | 280ms | 280ms | Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) (-0ms) |
Laguna XS 2.1 is the latest coding agent model in the 33B-A3B category from [Poolside](https://poolside.ai/) and a step forward from their Laguna XS.2 model (released in April 2026
The gpt-audio model is OpenAI's first generally available audio model. The new snapshot features an upgraded decoder for more natural sounding voices and maintains better voice con
Real-Time Stack Cost & Hidden-Fee Simulator (MAU / Token / Egress / GMV)
Calibrated with Reddit r/FinOps & r/devops telemetry: Includes Context Caching, Bandwidth Egress, and MoR Tax
🛰️Switch from Poolside: Laguna XS 2.1 (free) to OpenAI: GPT Audio
The gpt-audio model is OpenAI's first generally available audio model. The new snapshot features an upgraded decoder for more natural sounding voices and maintains better voice con Verified P90 latency of 280ms.