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Perplexity
Sonar
Perplexity’s lightweight search model for quick grounded answers with real-time web search.
Overall score
85
searchgroundedweb
Context window
Search-context dependent
Speed
Fast
Input pricing
$1 / 1M input tokens
Output pricing
$1 / 1M output tokens
Score breakdown
Capability80
Use-case fit90
Cost efficiency91
Speed94
Reliability86
Agent readiness78
Ecosystem84
Scores combine benchmark signals, product experience, and editorial weighting. Use them as a practical guide, not an absolute truth claim.
Best for
Research
Works with
Search-backed answersnews monitoringweb-grounded assistants
Modalities
textsearch
Sources & trust
Officially verified core fields
Official linkSummaryDescriptionTool supportPricingPricing page
Editorial fields such as shortlist guidance, strengths, caveats, and scoring remain clearly separated from official provider data.
Perplexity official
Official site · Tier 5 · Apr 9, 2026
Official link
Sonar model docs
Official docs · Tier 5 · Apr 9, 2026
SummaryDescriptionTool support
Perplexity pricing
Pricing page · Tier 5 · Apr 9, 2026
PricingPricing page
Sonar VerdictLens review
Manual review · Tier 3 · Apr 9, 2026
Best-fit guidanceWorks-with guidanceStrengthsCaveatsOverall scoreScore breakdown
Last verified: Apr 9, 2026
Strengths
- Fast grounded answers are the core product strength.
- Good for teams that care more about answer freshness than raw frontier reasoning.
Things to watch
- This is a search-native product tier, not a general-purpose long-context flagship.
- Request-fee economics should be reviewed alongside token prices.