Perplexity Sonar API
Usage-based Sonar model API for real-time, citation-backed web search and Q&A, alongside standalone Search and Embeddings APIs.
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Perplexity's Sonar API family (Sonar, Sonar Pro, Sonar Reasoning Pro, Sonar Deep Research) grounds LLM responses in real-time web search with inline citations, priced per input/output token plus a per-request search-context fee. It also offers a standalone Search API ($5 per 1,000 requests, no token charges) and an Embeddings API for RAG pipelines. Founded in August 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, and headquartered in San Francisco, Perplexity has raised hundreds of millions in venture funding and reached a valuation of roughly $21 billion in early 2026. The platform ships official Python and TypeScript SDKs and an official MCP server exposing search, ask, research, and reasoning tools.
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| Sonar | Custom | Lightweight, cost-efficient search-grounded model, Per-1K-request fee based on search context size (low/medium/high) |
| Sonar Pro | Custom | Advanced search-grounded model for complex, multi-step queries, Higher search context depth |
| Sonar Reasoning Pro | Custom | Chain-of-thought reasoning with web search grounding |
| Sonar Deep Research | Custom | Multi-step deep research reports with citations |
| Search API | $5/usage | Ranked web search results with advanced filtering, No token-based charges |
Source: https://docs.perplexity.ai/getting-started/pricing
Agent-readiness
- Discoverability
- 85/100
- Machine-readable content
- 88/100
- Programmatic access
- 90/100
- MCP / agent support
- 88/100
- Self-serve transactability
- 82/100
- Transparency
- 88/100
Security & compliance
- SSO / SAML
- Not publicly documented
- Encryption at rest
- Yes
- Encryption in transit
- Yes
- Audit log
- Not publicly documented
- Pentest report
- Not publicly documented
"Not publicly documented" means Crail found no public evidence either way — not a confirmed absence. See our methodology. Trust center: https://trust.perplexity.ai.
FAQ
Does Perplexity Sonar API have a free tier?
No — Perplexity Sonar API does not offer a free tier as of 2026-07-27.
Can you buy Perplexity Sonar API without talking to sales?
Yes, Perplexity Sonar API can be purchased self-serve without a sales call.
Does Perplexity Sonar API have an official MCP (Model Context Protocol) server?
Yes, Perplexity Sonar API publishes an official MCP server (https://github.com/perplexityai/modelcontextprotocol).
What compliance certifications does Perplexity Sonar API hold?
Perplexity Sonar API holds: SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA gap assessment (2025), CAIQ-Lite.
Reviews
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Methodology & disclosure
Data verified via agent crawled, last checked 2026-07-27. Agent-readiness methodology version crail-ar-v0.1. No vendor payment influences these scores — see our methodology page.