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Software · head to head

Poolside vs Amazon Q Developer

Poolside logo

Poolside

Software

Open-weight foundation models built for agentic software engineering

From
$0.06/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amazon Q Developer logo

Amazon Q Developer

Software

Generative AI assistant for coding, testing, and AWS development

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Amazon Q Developer has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Poolside no self-serve public application; access is largely through enterprise sales or third-party model gateways; Amazon Q Developer deepest value and AWS-specific expertise is tied to the AWS ecosystem, less compelling for non-AWS shops
  • They diverge on capability: Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Amazon Q Developer covers Code generation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Poolside and Amazon Q Developer actually diverge.

Attributes where Poolside and Amazon Q Developer differ
AttributePoolsideAmazon Q Developer
Starting price$0.06/monthFree
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, api, mac, windows, linuxweb, windows, mac, linux, api
Founded2023Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Poolside

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

Only in Amazon Q Developer

  • Code generation
  • Agentic task automation
  • Security scanning
  • Application transformation
  • AWS expertise
  • Private code customization
  • Admin governance dashboard
  • IP indemnity protection

What people use each for

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

Poolside

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

Amazon Q Developer

  • AI-assisted code completion in an IDEnot Poolside
  • Automating Java and .NET application upgradesnot Poolside
  • Scanning codebases for security vulnerabilitiesnot Poolside
  • Getting AWS architecture guidance while codingnot Poolside
  • Automating feature implementation via agentsnot Poolside

Where each one falls short

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

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

Amazon Q Developer

  • Deepest value and AWS-specific expertise is tied to the AWS ecosystem, less compelling for non-AWS shops
  • Free tier caps agentic requests at 50 per month, which can be exhausted quickly on larger tasks
  • Additional transformation usage beyond plan limits is billed per line of code, adding unpredictable costs
  • GitHub and Eclipse integrations are still in preview, indicating incomplete platform coverage

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Amazon Q Developer

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50 agentic requests per month
    • Access to latest Claude models
    • IDE and CLI use
  • Pro$19/month
    • Expanded agentic request limits
    • 4,000 lines of code per month per user for transformation, pooled at account level
    • Admin dashboard with user and policy management

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Amazon Q Developer if

  • You need code generation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
  • You also want agentic task automation.
Amazon Q Developer review

Questions people ask

Is Poolside or Amazon Q Developer better?
Neither clearly leads. Poolside starts at $0.06/month and Amazon Q Developer at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Poolside or Amazon Q Developer?
Amazon Q Developer has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.06/month for Poolside and Free for Amazon Q Developer.
Does Poolside or Amazon Q Developer run on more platforms?
Poolside runs on web, api, mac, windows, linux. Amazon Q Developer runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use Amazon Q Developer for free?
Yes. Amazon Q Developer has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Poolside starts at $0.06/month.
What is Poolside best used for?
Poolside is most often used for enterprises deploying ai coding assistance across large developer organizations, government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding models, teams building custom coding agents on open-weight foundation models, organizations wanting on-device lightweight coding models. Of those, enterprises deploying ai coding assistance across large developer organizations and government and defense agencies needing on-premise or sovereign coding models are not what Amazon Q Developer is typically brought in for.
What can Poolside do that Amazon Q Developer cannot?
Poolside covers Laguna S 2.1, Laguna XS 2.1, Desktop and CLI tools, Open-weight models. Amazon Q Developer covers Code generation, Agentic task automation, Security scanning, Application transformation.

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
Amazon Q Developer: What does Amazon Q Developer cost?

There is a free tier with no cost, and a Pro tier priced at $19 per user per month that adds expanded agentic request limits, admin controls, and IP indemnity.

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
Amazon Q Developer: What are the limits on the free plan?

The free tier includes 50 agentic requests per month, access to the latest Claude models in IDE and CLI, and 1,000 lines of code per month for Java transformation.

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
Amazon Q Developer: How is usage metered beyond plan limits?

Java and .NET transformation usage beyond the plan's included lines of code is billed as overage at $0.003 per line of code submitted.

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
Amazon Q Developer: Can I cancel my Amazon Q Developer Pro subscription anytime?

Subscriptions are billed monthly per user and prorated in the first month, but canceling before the end of a billing month still incurs the full month's subscription fee.

Source
Amazon Q Developer: What counts as an agentic request?

Agentic requests include both question-and-answer chat interactions and autonomous coding tasks performed by Q Developer's agents, all drawn from the same monthly quota.

Source
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