Poolside
A free chat with Poolside’s Laguna models, which can search the web, run code and analyse files.
What Poolside is best for
The categories Poolside is listed in, and how strong a fit it is in each.
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Strong fit
Poolside’s biggest strengths
Coding, Data & Technical WorkA free chat with Poolside’s Laguna models, which can search the web, run code and analyse files.
Where it may not be the best fit
Coding, Data & Technical WorkFree while the models are in preview, so the terms may change. Poolside’s business is coding agents for companies and governments, and the chat is a way in to the models rather than its main product.
Poolside pricing
Poolside has a free plan. Free to use at chat.poolside.ai while the Laguna models are in preview
FreeFree to use at chat.poolside.ai while the Laguna models are in preview
$0Read by hand off the provider’s own pricing page on 15 October 2026. This listing is not on the automatic monthly re-check, so confirm there before spending.
Who makes Poolside
Builds the Laguna models for agentic coding and sells them mainly to businesses and governments to run on their own systems. Several Laguna models can be downloaded and run by anyone.
CompanyPoolside
Founded2023
Based inSan Francisco, US
SectorFoundation models
ModelLaguna (open weights)
Free planYes
Best alternatives to Poolside
Tools that do comparable work, best fit first, drawn from the catalogue rather than hand-picked. Every one is listed whether or not there is money in it for us.
ChatGPT
Free
Best general option for explaining unfamiliar code, debugging a single file, or analysing a spreadsheet with real Python behind it.
View ChatGPT →Claude
Free
Reads long files and whole error traces without losing the thread, which makes it good at explaining unfamiliar code and debugging in a chat window.
View Claude →CodeRabbit
Free
Reviews pull requests line by line and leaves comments in the diff, with the reasoning attached rather than a score.
View CodeRabbit →Cursor
Free
The editor most professional developers have converged on. Understands a whole codebase, not just the open file.
View Cursor →GitHub Copilot
Free
The default, and the one already wired into the editor and the pull request your team uses. A free tier now covers light use.
View GitHub Copilot →Julius AI
Free
Upload a spreadsheet and it writes and runs real code against it, showing the working rather than describing it.
View Julius AI →Poolside by job
Where Poolside sits in the wider category pages.
Best AI for Coding
Strong fit — Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Questions about Poolside
Is Poolside free?
Yes — Free to use at chat.poolside.ai while the Laguna models are in preview. There is no paid tier above it.
What is Poolside best at?
A free chat with Poolside’s Laguna models, which can search the web, run code and analyse files. It is listed under Coding, Data & Technical Work.
What should I watch out for with Poolside?
Free while the models are in preview, so the terms may change. Poolside’s business is coding agents for companies and governments, and the chat is a way in to the models rather than its main product.
What are the alternatives to Poolside?
6 tools do comparable work: ChatGPT, Claude, CodeRabbit, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Julius AI. 6 of them have a free plan.
How current is this Poolside pricing?
The prices above were read by hand off Poolside's own pricing page on 15 October 2026. This listing is not on the automatic monthly re-check, so confirm there before spending.