modelgrep

Cheapest Perplexity Models

Match · Updated July 2026

The cheapest Perplexity model is Sonar at $1.00 per million input tokens. Sonar Reasoning Pro ($2.00) and Sonar Deep Research ($2.00) round out the top three.

$1.00Input /M
9.5Intelligence
127KContext

AI models ranked by input token price. The cheapest LLM APIs and most affordable AI models, from budget open-weight models to discounted frontier models.

  1. 1perplexity logo
    sonar
    Vision9.5 intel · 127K ctx
    $1.00
    Input /M
  2. 2perplexity logo
    sonar-reasoning-pro
    ReasoningVision17.8 intel · 128K ctx
    $2.00
    Input /M
  3. 3perplexity logo
    sonar-deep-research
    Reasoning128K ctx
    $2.00
    Input /M
  4. 4perplexity logo
    sonar-pro-search
    ReasoningJSONVision200K ctx
    $3.00
    Input /M
  5. 5perplexity logo
    sonar-pro
    Vision9.3 intel · 200K ctx
    $3.00
    Input /M

Frequently asked

What is the cheapest Perplexity model?

The cheapest Perplexity model is Sonar at $1.00 per million input tokens. Sonar Reasoning Pro ($2.00) and Sonar Deep Research ($2.00) round out the top three.

What's a good alternative to Sonar?

Sonar Reasoning Pro ($2.00) is the closest alternative on this metric, followed by Sonar Deep Research ($2.00). See the full ranking above for the tradeoffs.

How many Perplexity models are there?

modelgrep tracks 5 Perplexity models with live benchmarks, speed, latency and per-provider pricing, led on intelligence by Sonar Reasoning Pro. 5 of them qualify for this ranking.

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