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Machine Learning · head to head

LlamaIndex vs Poolside

LlamaIndex logo

LlamaIndex

Machine Learning

Data framework for LLM applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Poolside logo

Poolside

AI

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LlamaIndex has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: LlamaIndex the free LlamaCloud plan includes 10K credits and has no pay as you go option, so work stops when credits run out; Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways
  • They diverge on capability: LlamaIndex covers Data connectors, Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LlamaIndex and Poolside actually diverge.

Attributes where LlamaIndex and Poolside differ
AttributeLlamaIndexPoolside
Starting priceFree$0.06/month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Mac, Windowsweb, api, mac, windows, linux
CategoryMachine LearningAI
Founded20222023

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

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 LlamaIndex

  • Data connectors
  • Indexing
  • Query engine
  • RAG pipelines
  • Agents
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • Pinecone

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.

LlamaIndex

  • Parsing PDFs and complex documents into structured text for RAGnot Poolside
  • Building retrieval augmented generation pipelines over private datanot Poolside
  • Indexing and querying enterprise documents from an LLM applicationnot Poolside

Poolside

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

Where each one falls short

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

LlamaIndex

  • The free LlamaCloud plan includes 10K credits and has no pay as you go option, so work stops when credits run out
  • Concurrent parse jobs are capped at 5 on Free and Starter, 20 on Pro and 100 on Enterprise
  • Pay as you go spend is capped at $500 per month on Starter and $5,000 per month on Pro
  • Enterprise SSO is Enterprise plan only
  • Volume discounts on credits and 5x higher rate limits are Enterprise only
  • SaaS or hybrid cloud deployment choice and a dedicated account manager are Enterprise only
  • Enterprise pricing is by quote with no published rate

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

LlamaIndex

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10K monthly credits
    • Basic parsing
    • 5 concurrent jobs
  • Starter$50/month
    • 40K credits + pay-as-you-go
    • Up to 400K credits
    • 5 concurrent jobs
  • Pro$500/month
    • 400K credits + limited-time bonus
    • 20 concurrent jobs
    • Priority Slack support
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom volume discounts
    • 5x higher rate limits
    • SSO

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 LlamaIndex if

  • You need data connectors.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
  • You also want indexing.
LlamaIndex 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 LlamaIndex or Poolside better?
Neither clearly leads. LlamaIndex 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, LlamaIndex or Poolside?
LlamaIndex has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LlamaIndex and $0.06/month for Poolside.
Does LlamaIndex or Poolside run on more platforms?
LlamaIndex runs on Linux, Mac, Windows. Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux.
Can I use LlamaIndex for free?
Yes. LlamaIndex has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What is LlamaIndex best used for?
LlamaIndex is most often used for parsing pdfs and complex documents into structured text for rag, building retrieval augmented generation pipelines over private data, indexing and querying enterprise documents from an llm application. Of those, parsing pdfs and complex documents into structured text for rag and building retrieval augmented generation pipelines over private data are not what Poolside is typically brought in for.
What can LlamaIndex do that Poolside cannot?
LlamaIndex covers Data connectors, Indexing, Query engine, RAG pipelines. Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LlamaIndex: How much does LlamaIndex (LlamaParse) cost?

LlamaIndex offers a Free plan with 10K monthly credits at $0/month. The Starter plan is $50/month for 40K credits plus pay-as-you-go overage up to 400K total. The Pro plan is $500/month for 400K credits. Credits are priced at 1,000 credits for $1.25.

Source
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
LlamaIndex: Is LlamaIndex free?

Yes, LlamaIndex offers a free plan with 10K monthly credits, basic parsing, 5 concurrent jobs, and support for up to 100 users with no upfront payment required.

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
LlamaIndex: What are LlamaIndex's concurrent job limits?

The Free and Starter plans allow 5 concurrent jobs. The Pro plan increases this to 20 concurrent jobs. Enterprise plans offer custom configurations with 5x higher rate limits.

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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