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Sonar

Sonar is Perplexity's lightweight search model. It combines language generation with built-in web search to deliver citation-backed answers at low cost within a context window of 127K tokens.

Tool UseVision (Image)
index.ts
import { streamText } from 'ai'


const result = streamText({
  model: 'perplexity/sonar',
  prompt: 'Why is the sky blue?'
})
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Frequently Asked Questions

  • How does Sonar's built-in web search work?

    Every API call triggers a live web search. The model formulates search queries from your prompt, retrieves and evaluates web sources, then synthesizes the information into a response with inline citations. You don't need an external search API or RAG pipeline.

  • What is the difference between Sonar and Sonar Pro?

    Sonar Pro searches more sources, produces longer and more detailed answers, and handles more complex multi-source queries. Sonar is optimized for speed and cost on straightforward factual queries.

  • Does Sonar include citations in its responses?

    Yes. Responses include inline citations referencing the web sources used for each claim. This gives your application verifiable provenance.

  • What is the context window for Sonar?

    127K tokens. This supports multi-turn conversations where search context accumulates across exchanges.

  • How much does Sonar cost?

    Current pricing is shown on this page. AI Gateway routes across providers, and rates may vary by provider.

  • How do I authenticate with Sonar through AI Gateway?

    Use your AI Gateway API key with the model identifier `perplexity/sonar`. AI Gateway handles provider routing and authentication. You don't need a separate Perplexity API key when using gateway-managed access.

  • Can I use Sonar without the web search feature?

    No. Web search is integral to the Sonar architecture and runs on every request. If you need a model without search, use a general-purpose language model from another provider.