Provider pricing
Perplexity AI API pricing
Perplexity's Sonar API combines LLM reasoning with real-time web search, returning grounded answers with inline citations. The Sonar family ranges from $1/M input (Sonar) up to $3/M (Sonar Pro), with reasoning and deep-research variants priced for multi-step research workflows.
Founded2022
HeadquartersSan Francisco, USA
Tracked models7
Best for
Apps needing fresh, cited answers — research assistants, news bots, fact-check tools, and AI search experiences.
Strengths
- Built-in real-time web search with citations
- Sonar Deep Research handles multi-query expert research in one call
- Reasoning models (Sonar Reasoning, Reasoning Pro) include chain-of-thought
- Domain, date, and academic-mode source filters out of the box
Tracked Perplexity models
| Model | Input $/M | Output $/M | Context | Tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonar | $1.00 | $1.00 | 127,000 | Budget | Fast grounded web search and everyday Q&A with citations |
| Sonar Pro | $3.00 | $15.00 | 200,000 | Flagship | Multi-step research with 2× more citations and deeper sources |
| Sonar Reasoning | $1.00 | $5.00 | 127,000 | Reasoning | Chain-of-thought reasoning grounded in real-time web search |
| Sonar Reasoning Pro | $2.00 | $8.00 | 127,000 | Reasoning | Advanced DeepSeek R1-based reasoning with grounded search |
| Sonar Deep Research | $2.00 | $8.00 | 127,000 | Premium | Expert multi-query research, long-form reports with citations |
| Sonar Small Online | $0.200 | $0.200 | 127,000 | Budget | Cheapest grounded search model with citations |
| Sonar Ultra | $5.00 | $20.00 | 200,000 | Premium | Largest Sonar variant — multi-step research with extensive citations |