Key Takeaways
Sonar wins:
- Cheaper input tokens
- Cheaper output tokens
- Faster response time
- Higher intelligence benchmark
Sonar Pro Search wins:
- Larger context window
Price Advantage
Sonar
Benchmark Advantage
Sonar
Context Window
Sonar Pro Search
Speed
Sonar
Pricing Comparison
Price Comparison
| Metric | Sonar | Sonar Pro Search | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Input (per 1M tokens) | $1.00 | $3.00 | Sonar |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | $1.00 | $15.00 | Sonar |
Using a 3:1 input/output ratio, Sonar is 83% cheaper overall.
Sonar Providers
Perplexity $1.00 (Cheapest)
Vercel $1.00 (Cheapest)
Sonar Pro Search Providers
Perplexity $3.00 (Cheapest)
Benchmark Comparison
5
Benchmarks Compared
0
Sonar Wins
0
Sonar Pro Search Wins
Benchmark Scores
| Benchmark | Sonar | Sonar Pro Search | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
Intelligence Index Overall intelligence score | 15.5 | - | - |
MMLU Pro Academic knowledge | 68.9 | - | - |
GPQA Graduate-level science | 47.1 | - | - |
LiveCodeBench Competitive programming | 29.5 | - | - |
AIME Competition math | 48.7 | - | - |
Both models show comparable benchmark performance.
Cost vs Quality
X-axis:
Y-axis:
Loading chart...
Sonar
Other models
Context & Performance
Context Window
Sonar
127,072
tokens
Sonar Pro Search
200,000
tokens
Max output: 8,000 tokens
Sonar Pro Search has a 36% larger context window.
Speed Performance
| Metric | Sonar | Sonar Pro Search | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokens/second | 113.3 tok/s | N/A | |
| Time to First Token | 1.27s | N/A |
Capabilities
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Sonar | Sonar Pro Search |
|---|---|---|
| Vision (Image Input) | ||
| Tool/Function Calls | ||
| Reasoning Mode | ||
| Audio Input | ||
| Audio Output | ||
| PDF Input | ||
| Prompt Caching | ||
| Web Search |
License & Release
| Property | Sonar | Sonar Pro Search |
|---|---|---|
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Author | Perplexity | Perplexity |
| Released | Jan 2025 | Oct 2025 |
Sonar Modalities
Input
textimage
Output
text
Sonar Pro Search Modalities
Input
textimage
Output
text