Perplexity Model Comparison
Guide to different Perplexity models available through OpenRouter and when to use each.
Available Models
All Perplexity models are accessed through OpenRouter using the format:
openrouter/perplexity/[model-name]
Sonar Pro Search
Model ID: openrouter/perplexity/sonar-pro-search
Best for: - Complex multi-step research questions - Queries requiring deep analysis and synthesis - Situations needing comprehensive source exploration - Comparative analyses across multiple domains - Research requiring agentic reasoning workflow
Characteristics: - Most advanced agentic search system - Executes multi-step reasoning workflows - Uses tools and intermediate queries - Provides most comprehensive answers - Higher cost due to extensive processing
Use cases: - "Conduct a comprehensive analysis of competing CAR-T cell therapy approaches, including mechanism differences, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness" - "Compare quantum computing approaches for drug discovery with traditional computational methods across multiple metrics" - Research questions requiring synthesis from many sources
Pricing (approximate): - Input: $3/million tokens - Output: $15/million tokens - Request fee: $18 per 1000 requests
Context window: 200K tokens
Sonar Pro
Model ID: openrouter/perplexity/sonar-pro
Best for: - General-purpose research and search - Balanced performance and cost - Standard scientific queries - Quick information gathering - Most use cases
Characteristics: - Enhanced capabilities over base Sonar - Good balance of quality and cost - Reliable for most queries - Faster than Pro Search - Recommended default choice
Use cases: - "What are the latest developments in CRISPR base editing?" - "Summarize recent clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatment" - "Explain how transformer architectures work in modern LLMs" - Standard literature searches - Technical documentation queries
Pricing (approximate): - Lower cost than Pro Search - Good cost-performance ratio
Context window: 200K tokens
Sonar
Model ID: openrouter/perplexity/sonar
Best for: - Basic searches and queries - Cost-sensitive applications - Simple fact-finding - High-volume queries - Quick lookups
Characteristics: - Base model with solid performance - Most cost-effective option - Faster response times - Good for straightforward queries - Lower accuracy than Pro variants
Use cases: - "What is the molecular weight of aspirin?" - "When was CRISPR-Cas9 first used in humans?" - "List the main symptoms of diabetes" - Simple fact verification - Basic information retrieval
Pricing (approximate): - Lowest cost option - Best for high-volume simple queries
Context window: 200K tokens
Sonar Reasoning Pro
Model ID: openrouter/perplexity/sonar-reasoning-pro
Best for: - Complex logical reasoning tasks - Multi-step problem solving - Technical analysis requiring step-by-step thinking - Mathematical or computational problems - Queries needing explicit reasoning chains
Characteristics: - Advanced reasoning capabilities - Shows step-by-step thinking - Better for analytical tasks - Excels at technical problem-solving - More structured outputs
Use cases: - "Walk through the steps to design a clinical trial for testing a novel cancer therapy" - "Analyze the computational complexity of different protein folding algorithms" - "Reason through the molecular mechanisms linking multiple genes to a disease phenotype" - Technical troubleshooting with multiple steps - Logical analysis of complex systems
Pricing (approximate): - Higher cost due to reasoning capabilities - Worth it for complex analytical tasks
Context window: 200K tokens
Sonar Reasoning
Model ID: openrouter/perplexity/sonar-reasoning
Best for: - Basic reasoning tasks - Cost-effective analytical queries - Simpler logical problems - Step-by-step explanations
Characteristics: - Basic reasoning capabilities - More affordable than Reasoning Pro - Good for moderate complexity tasks - Shows logical thinking process
Use cases: - "Explain the logic behind vaccine efficacy calculations" - "Walk through basic statistical analysis steps" - Simple analytical questions - Educational explanations
Pricing (approximate): - Lower cost than Reasoning Pro - Good balance for basic reasoning
Context window: 200K tokens
Model Selection Guide
Decision Tree
Is your query complex and requiring deep multi-step analysis?
├─ YES → Use Sonar Pro Search
└─ NO → Continue
Does your query require explicit step-by-step reasoning?
├─ YES → Use Sonar Reasoning Pro (complex) or Sonar Reasoning (simple)
└─ NO → Continue
Is this a standard research or information query?
├─ YES → Use Sonar Pro (recommended default)
└─ NO → Continue
Is this a simple fact-finding or basic lookup?
├─ YES → Use Sonar (cost-effective)
└─ NO → Use Sonar Pro (safe default)
By Use Case
| Use Case | Recommended Model | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Literature review | Sonar Pro | Sonar Pro Search |
| Quick fact check | Sonar | Sonar Pro |
| Complex analysis | Sonar Pro Search | Sonar Reasoning Pro |
| Step-by-step tutorial | Sonar Reasoning Pro | Sonar Pro |
| Cost-sensitive bulk queries | Sonar | Sonar Pro |
| General research | Sonar Pro | Sonar |
| Technical debugging | Sonar Reasoning Pro | Sonar Pro |
| Comparative analysis | Sonar Pro Search | Sonar Pro |
By Domain
Biomedical Research: - Default: Sonar Pro - Complex mechanisms: Sonar Reasoning Pro - Literature synthesis: Sonar Pro Search - Quick lookups: Sonar
Computational Science: - Default: Sonar Pro - Algorithm analysis: Sonar Reasoning Pro - Technical docs: Sonar Pro - Basic syntax: Sonar
Drug Discovery: - Default: Sonar Pro - Multi-target analysis: Sonar Pro Search - Mechanism reasoning: Sonar Reasoning Pro - Compound properties: Sonar
Clinical Research: - Default: Sonar Pro - Trial design: Sonar Reasoning Pro - Evidence synthesis: Sonar Pro Search - Basic guidelines: Sonar
Performance Characteristics
Response Time
Fastest to Slowest: 1. Sonar (fastest) 2. Sonar Pro 3. Sonar Reasoning 4. Sonar Reasoning Pro 5. Sonar Pro Search (slowest, due to multi-step processing)
Considerations: - For time-sensitive queries, use Sonar or Sonar Pro - For comprehensive analysis, accept the slower Sonar Pro Search - Reasoning models are slower due to explicit thinking steps
Quality vs Cost Trade-offs
Quality Hierarchy (highest to lowest): 1. Sonar Pro Search 2. Sonar Reasoning Pro 3. Sonar Pro 4. Sonar Reasoning 5. Sonar
Cost Hierarchy (most to least expensive): 1. Sonar Pro Search 2. Sonar Reasoning Pro 3. Sonar Pro 4. Sonar Reasoning 5. Sonar
Recommendation: Start with Sonar Pro as the default. Upgrade to Pro Search for complex queries, downgrade to Sonar for simple lookups.
Accuracy and Comprehensiveness
Most Comprehensive: - Sonar Pro Search: Explores multiple sources, synthesizes deeply - Sonar Reasoning Pro: Thorough step-by-step analysis
Most Accurate: - Sonar Pro Search: Best source verification and cross-checking - Sonar Pro: Reliable for most queries
Good Enough: - Sonar: Adequate for simple facts and basic queries
Special Considerations
Context Window
All models support 200K token context windows: - Sufficient for most queries - Can handle long documents or multiple sources - Consider chunking very large analyses
Temperature Settings
Different models benefit from different temperature settings:
Sonar Pro Search: - Default: 0.2 (more focused, analytical) - Use lower (0.0-0.1) for factual queries - Use higher (0.3-0.5) for creative synthesis
Sonar Reasoning Pro: - Default: 0.2 - Keep low (0.0-0.2) for logical consistency - Reasoning quality degrades at high temperatures
Sonar Pro / Sonar: - Default: 0.2 - Adjust based on query type (factual vs exploratory)
Rate Limits and Quotas
OpenRouter enforces rate limits: - Check your OpenRouter dashboard for current limits - Consider request batching for high-volume use - Monitor costs with OpenRouter's tracking tools
API Key Security
Best practices: - Never commit API keys to version control - Use environment variables or .env files - Rotate keys periodically - Monitor usage for unexpected activity - Use separate keys for different projects
Example Comparisons
Query: "Explain CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing"
Sonar: - Quick overview - Basic mechanism explanation - ~200-300 tokens - 1-2 sources cited - Cost: $0.001
Sonar Pro: - Detailed explanation - Multiple mechanisms covered - ~500-800 tokens - 3-5 sources cited - Cost: $0.003
Sonar Reasoning Pro: - Step-by-step mechanism breakdown - Logical flow of editing process - ~800-1200 tokens - Shows reasoning steps - Cost: $0.005
Sonar Pro Search: - Comprehensive analysis - Multiple sources synthesized - Historical context included - Recent developments covered - ~1500-2000 tokens - 10+ sources explored - Cost: $0.020+
Query: "What is 2+2?"
All models return accurate answer. Use Sonar for simple queries to minimize cost.
Query: "Design a clinical trial for novel immunotherapy"
Sonar: - Basic template provided - May miss important details - Cost-effective but incomplete
Sonar Pro: - Solid trial design framework - Covers main components - Good starting point
Sonar Reasoning Pro: - Detailed step-by-step design - Considers multiple factors - Shows reasoning for each choice - Recommended for this query type
Sonar Pro Search: - Most comprehensive design - Incorporates best practices from multiple sources - Compares different approaches - May be overkill for initial design
Summary
Default recommendation: Start with Sonar Pro for most scientific queries.
When to upgrade: - Complex multi-step analysis → Sonar Pro Search - Explicit reasoning needed → Sonar Reasoning Pro
When to downgrade: - Simple facts or lookups → Sonar - Cost-sensitive bulk queries → Sonar
Remember: The best model depends on your specific use case, budget, and quality requirements. Monitor your usage and adjust model selection based on results.