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Software · head to head

AI21 Labs vs Poolside

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

Software

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

Software

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only AI21 Labs has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Poolside differ
AttributeAI21 LabsPoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsApi, Cloudweb, api, mac, windows, linux
Founded20172023

Identical on both: pricing model (usage-based), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • REST API
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms
  • Api support

Only in Poolside

  • Laguna S 2.1
  • Laguna XS 2.1
  • Desktop and CLI tools
  • Open-weight models
  • Third-party gateway access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Poolside
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Poolside
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Poolside
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Poolside

Poolside

  • Enterprises deploying AI coding assistance across large developer organizationsnot AI21 Labs
  • Government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding modelsnot AI21 Labs
  • Teams building custom coding agents on open-weight foundation modelsnot AI21 Labs
  • Organizations wanting on-device lightweight coding modelsnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Poolside

  • No self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • Pricing for the flagship enterprise and government offering is not public and requires a sales conversation
  • Targets organizations with large (5,000+) developer headcounts, making it a poor fit for individuals or small teams
  • Documentation and product surface area are thin compared to consumer-facing coding assistants

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Limited usage
    • API access
  • Jamba$0.2/per-million-input-tokens
    • 256K context
    • Hybrid architecture

Poolside

$0.06/month
  • Laguna XS 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.06 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.12 per 1M output tokens
    • Available via OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway
  • Laguna S 2.1$undefined/month
    • $0.10 per 1M input tokens
    • $0.20 per 1M output tokens
    • 1M token context window
  • Enterprise / Government$undefined/month
    • Custom contracts for large engineering organizations
    • Sales-quoted pricing
    • On-premise or dedicated deployment options

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.
AI21 Labs review

Choose Poolside if

  • You need laguna s 2.1.
  • You work on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
  • You also want laguna xs 2.1.
Poolside review

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Poolside at $0.06/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Poolside?
AI21 Labs has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for AI21 Labs and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does AI21 Labs or Poolside run on more platforms?
AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Yes. AI21 Labs has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Poolside is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Poolside cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Poolside: How is Poolside's Laguna model usage priced?

Laguna XS 2.1 is priced at $0.06 per 1M input tokens and $0.12 per 1M output tokens; Laguna S 2.1 is $0.10 per 1M input tokens and $0.20 per 1M output tokens.

Source
Poolside: Where can I access Poolside's models?

Laguna models are available through third-party gateways OpenRouter and Vercel AI Gateway, as well as via Poolside's own desktop and CLI tools.

Source
Poolside: Does Poolside offer enterprise or government pricing?

Yes, Poolside offers custom, sales-quoted contracts for large enterprises and government/defense customers, including on-premise or dedicated deployment options.

Source
Poolside: How do I get started building with Poolside's models?

Poolside's documentation provides a quickstart guide for installing the `pool` CLI and running an agent task, alongside API documentation for custom integrations.

Source
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