This page shows pricing information to help you understand API costs. For billing setup, payment methods, and usage monitoring, visit the Admin section.
Search API Pricing
| API | Price per 1K requests | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Search API | $5.00 | Raw web search results with advanced filtering |
No token costs: Search API charges per request only, with no additional token-based pricing.
Grounded LLM Pricing
Total cost per query = Token costs + Request fee (varies by search context size, applies to Sonar, Sonar Pro, Sonar Reasoning, and Sonar Reasoning Pro models only)
- Token Pricing
- Request Pricing
Token Pricing
Token pricing is based on the number of tokens in your request and response.| Model | Input Tokens ($/1M) | Output Tokens ($/1M) | Citation Tokens ($/1M) | Search Queries ($/1K) | Reasoning Tokens ($/1M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonar | $1 | $1 | - | - | - |
| Sonar Pro | $3 | $15 | - | - | - |
| Sonar Reasoning | $1 | $5 | - | - | - |
| Sonar Reasoning Pro | $2 | $8 | - | - | - |
| Sonar Deep Research | $2 | $8 | $2 | $5 | $3 |
Token and Cost Glossary
Token and Cost Glossary
Input Tokens
The number of tokens in your prompt or message to the API. This includes:- Your question or instruction
- Any context or examples you provide
- System messages and formatting
Output Tokens
The number of tokens in the API’s response. This includes:- The generated answer or content
- Any explanations or additional context
- Search results and references
Citation Tokens
Tokens used specifically for generating search results and references in responses. Only applies to Sonar Deep Research model.Example: Including source links, reference numbers, and bibliographic informationSearch Context Size vs Context Window
Search context size is not the same as the context window.- Search context size: How much web information is retrieved during search (affects request pricing)
- Context window: Maximum tokens the model can process in one request (affects token limits)
Search Queries
The number of individual searches conducted by Sonar Deep Research during query processing. This is separate from your initial user query.- The model automatically determines how many searches are needed
- You cannot control the exact number of search queries
- The
reasoning_effortparameter influences the number of searches performed - Only applies to Sonar Deep Research model
Reasoning Tokens
Tokens used for step-by-step logical reasoning and problem-solving. Only applies to Sonar Deep Research model.Example: Breaking down a complex math problem into sequential steps with explanationsToken Calculation: 1 token ≈ 4 characters in English text. The exact count may vary based on language and content complexity.
Cost Examples
Sonar Web Search Example
Sonar • 500 input + 200 output tokens
- Low
- Medium
- High
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Input tokens | $0.0005 |
| Output tokens | $0.0002 |
| Request fee | $0.005 |
| Total | $0.0057 |
Deep Research Example
Sonar Deep Research
- Low
- Medium
- High
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Input tokens (33) | $0.000066 |
| Output tokens (7163) | $0.057304 |
| Citation tokens (20016) | $0.040032 |
| Reasoning tokens (73997) | $0.221991 |
| Search queries (18) | $0.09 |
| Total | $0.409393 |
Choosing the Right API
Search API
| API | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Search API | Raw web search results with advanced filtering | Custom search engines, research tools, competitive intelligence, news aggregation |
Sonar Models (Chat Completions)
| Model | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Sonar | Lightweight, cost-effective search model | Quick facts, news updates, simple Q&A, high-volume applications |
| Sonar Pro | Advanced search with deeper content understanding | Complex queries, competitive analysis, detailed research |
| Sonar Reasoning | Quick problem-solving with step-by-step logic and search | Logic puzzles, math problems, transparent reasoning |
| Sonar Reasoning Pro | Enhanced multi-step reasoning with web search | Complex problem-solving, research analysis, strategic planning |
| Sonar Deep Research | Exhaustive research and detailed report generation with search | Academic research, market analysis, comprehensive reports |
Need help choosing? Use Search API when you want raw data to process yourself. Use Sonar models when you want AI-generated answers with search grounding.