Perplexity
Search-augmented LLM API. Sonar models combine LLM generation with real-time web search for grounded, cited responses. Sonar ($1/$1 per 1M tokens) for quick lookups. Sonar Pro ($3/$15) for complex research. Sonar Deep Research ($2/$8 + $3/1M reasoning tokens) for multi-step research queries. Search API at $5/1K requests. Citation tokens no longer billed for standard Sonar and Sonar Pro (cost reduction vs 2025). Built-in web search eliminates need for separate RAG pipeline.
Overview
| Category | Ai |
| Compliance | SOC2 |
| Self-Hostable | No |
| On-Prem | No |
| Best For | startup, growth, enterprise |
| Last Verified | 2026-02-12 |
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths:- dx
- reliability
- Higher cost due to search component
- Not suitable for tasks that don't need web grounding
- Smaller model selection
- Less control over generation parameters
When to Use
Best when:- Need real-time, factual answers grounded in web sources
- Building research or Q&A tools that need citations
- Want to avoid building your own RAG pipeline for web data
- Need multi-step deep research (Sonar Deep Research)
- Don't need web-grounded responses
- Need creative or code generation
- Budget-constrained — per-search costs add up