What is the cheapest Perplexity model?

Sonar is the lowest blended-price option among tracked active non-embedding models, or among all models if only embeddings are listed: $1.00 input and $1.00 output per million tokens ($1.00 blended). Blended pricing uses 75% input and 25% output for generation models; your cheapest option may differ with your workload.

Which Perplexity model has the highest AA Intelligence score?

Sonar Reasoning Pro has the highest listed Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index score among tracked active Perplexity models: 11.8. This is one evaluation, not a guarantee of the best result for every task. Models without measured results are not ranked as zero.

How do I calculate monthly Perplexity API costs?

Multiply input tokens in millions by the input rate and add output tokens in millions multiplied by the output rate. For example, 20 million input and 5 million output tokens on Sonar cost an estimated $25 at the listed rates. This excludes tool charges, cache-specific charges, taxes and any endpoint-specific adjustments.

Which Perplexity model has the largest context window?

Sonar Pro has a listed context window of 200K tokens, the largest among tracked active Perplexity models. Context capacity and maximum response length are separate limits; verify both on the model page and in the endpoint documentation.

What is the latest Perplexity model in the catalog?

Sonar Pro Search has the most recent listed release date among tracked active Perplexity models: 2025-10-30. Models without a usable release date are excluded from this comparison. Catalog release dates do not guarantee immediate API availability.

Do Perplexity models support image inputs?

4 tracked active models list image inputs, including Sonar, Sonar Pro, Sonar Pro Search. Accepting images does not mean a model generates images; check each model's separate input and output formats and endpoint limits.

Can prompt caching lower Perplexity API costs?

No cached-input rates are currently listed for this provider's tracked models. Check endpoint documentation for caching eligibility and charges rather than assuming a discount.

Do Perplexity models support tool calling?

Tool-calling capabilities are not currently listed for these models. Unlisted support is not the same as confirmed lack of support; check each model and the endpoint documentation.

How should I compare Perplexity benchmark scores and prices?

Compare scores within the same evaluation: Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, DesignArena Elo, general Arena Elo and MMLU-Pro use different tasks and scales. Missing results are not zeroes. Pair a relevant measured benchmark with input/output pricing and tests of your own workload; the cheapest or highest-scoring model is not automatically the best fit.

Are retired Perplexity models included in the price list?

The price list shows active models by default. Turn on Show retired models to include retired catalog entries, where available. A retained model page preserves reference information, not a promise that its API is still available.

Is Perplexity an AI lab or an inference host?

Perplexity is categorized as an AI lab in this catalog. Individual model pages list available API hosts separately; model creator and API host are different roles.

AI lab

Perplexity API pricing & models

We track 5 Perplexity models, priced from $1.00 per 1M input tokens with context windows up to 200K tokens.

Models tracked

Text & Reasoning · Vision

$1.00

Cheapest model

Sonar

11.8

Top quality score

Sonar Reasoning Pro

200K

Largest context

6-mo price trend 0%

Price list

All Perplexity models and prices

Current Perplexity API prices per 1M tokens, context windows and benchmark scores. Click a column to sort, or a model for full pricing details.

Show retired models


Sonar Reasoning Pro Perplexity	$2	$8	128K	11.8	—	—	—	0%
Sonar Perplexity	$1	$1	127K	7.7	—	—	—	0%
Sonar Pro Perplexity	$3	$15	200K	7.6	—	—	—	0%
Sonar Deep Research Perplexity	$2	$8	128K	—	—	—	—	0%
Sonar Pro Search Perplexity	$3	$15	200K	—	—	—	—	0%

Sonar Reasoning Pro Perplexity

Input /1M: $2
Output /1M: $8
Context: 128K
AA Intelligence: 11.8
DesignArena Elo: —
Arena Elo: —
MMLU-Pro: —
30d trend: 0%

Sonar Perplexity

Input /1M: $1
Output /1M: $1
Context: 127K
AA Intelligence: 7.7
DesignArena Elo: —
Arena Elo: —
MMLU-Pro: —
30d trend: 0%

Sonar Pro Perplexity

Input /1M: $3
Output /1M: $15
Context: 200K
AA Intelligence: 7.6
DesignArena Elo: —
Arena Elo: —
MMLU-Pro: —
30d trend: 0%

Sonar Deep Research Perplexity

Input /1M: $2
Output /1M: $8
Context: 128K
AA Intelligence: —
DesignArena Elo: —
Arena Elo: —
MMLU-Pro: —
30d trend: 0%

Sonar Pro Search Perplexity

Input /1M: $3
Output /1M: $15
Context: 200K
AA Intelligence: —
DesignArena Elo: —
Arena Elo: —
MMLU-Pro: —
30d trend: 0%

Perplexity input vs output prices

USD per 1M tokens for each model.

Perplexity price history

Blended price per 1M tokens over the last 6 months.

By use case

Perplexity models by category

Text & Reasoning

5 models · cheapest

Sonar

$1.00 blended / 1M

Vision

4 models · cheapest

Sonar

$1.00 blended / 1M

Comparisons

Perplexity vs other AI providers

Compare Sonar Reasoning Pro with models from other AI providers, including pricing and benchmark results.

Perplexity vs Google

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image)

$3.50 vs $4.50 · Arena Elo — vs 1211

Perplexity vs Anthropic

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs Claude Opus 5.5

$3.50 vs $8.00 · Arena Elo — vs —

Perplexity vs OpenAI

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs GPT-5.2 Pro

$3.50 vs $58 · Arena Elo — vs 1255

Perplexity vs xAI

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs Grok 4.7

$3.50 vs $3.00 · Arena Elo — vs —

Perplexity vs Meta

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs Muse Spark 1.3

$3.50 vs $2.00 · Arena Elo — vs —

Perplexity vs DeepSeek

Sonar Reasoning Pro vs DeepSeek V4.1 Flash

$3.50 vs $0.34 · Arena Elo — vs —

FAQ

Perplexity pricing FAQ

Tracked active Perplexity models range from $1.00 to $3.00 per million input tokens. Output rates are listed separately for each model. Prices vary by model and API endpoint; these are token rates, not a subscription quote.