API cost decision in 10 seconds

GPT-5.2 Pro vs Sonar Pro Search

Pick Sonar Pro Search for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2 Pro only if the larger context window matters more.

Page updated:  Data confirmed:  Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output

Budget verdict

Pick Sonar Pro Search for lower cost; pick GPT-5.2 Pro only if the larger context window matters more.

On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sonar Pro Search is estimated at $10.5 vs $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $94.5 (90% lower).

Cost-first pickSonar Pro Search
Context-first pickGPT-5.2 Pro
Sample savings$94.590%
10x traffic gap$945

GPT-5.2 Pro has more context, but Sonar Pro Search saves $94.5 on the standard workload. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $945. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.

Cost sensitivity

Workload Sensitivity

Same prices, different token mixes.

Sonar Pro Search stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.

Workload shapeToken mixBetter pickGPT-5.2 ProSonar Pro Search
Input-heavy / RAG5M input + 500K outputSonar Pro Search$189$22.5
Balanced workload1M input + 1M outputSonar Pro Search$189$18
Output-heavy chatbot1M input + 5M outputSonar Pro Search$861$78
Cheaper input Sonar Pro Search $21 vs $3 / 1M

Sonar Pro Search is $18 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85.7% lower; 7x difference).

Cheaper output Sonar Pro Search $168 vs $15 / 1M

Sonar Pro Search is $153 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.1% lower; 11.2x difference).

Larger context GPT-5.2 Pro 400K vs 200K

GPT-5.2 Pro has 200K more context (2x larger).

Sample workload Sonar Pro Search $105 vs $10.5

Sonar Pro Search is $94.5 cheaper on the standard workload (90% lower).

Estimate your workload cost

Your Workload Cost

Prices are normalized to USD per 1M tokens.
GPT-5.2 Pro Calculating… Estimated API cost
Sonar Pro Search Calculating… Estimated API cost
Cheaper for this workload Calculating… Difference: calculating…

This estimate uses normalized public API pricing per 1M tokens. It is a planning aid, not a billing quote. Verify provider pricing, limits, and terms before production use.

Quick Decision

Verdict

Sonar Pro Search has the lower input price; Sonar Pro Search has the lower output price; GPT-5.2 Pro offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Sonar Pro Search is cheaper for the standard workload.

For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro and $10.5 for Sonar Pro Search.

Best Fit

Choose GPT-5.2 Pro when you care most about larger context window.

Choose Sonar Pro Search when you care most about lower input-token price, and lower output-token price.

Decision Notes
  • On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sonar Pro Search is estimated at $10.5 vs $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $94.5 (90% lower).
  • Sonar Pro Search is $94.5 cheaper on the standard workload (90% lower).
  • Sonar Pro Search is $18 cheaper per 1M input tokens (85.7% lower; 7x difference).
  • Sonar Pro Search is $153 cheaper per 1M output tokens (91.1% lower; 11.2x difference).
  • GPT-5.2 Pro has 200K more context (2x larger).
Head-to-Head Specs
FeatureGPT-5.2 Pro
(OpenAI)		Sonar Pro Search
(Perplexity)
Input Price
prompt tokens per 1M		$21$3
Completion Price
per 1M tokens		$168$15
Sample Workload Cost
1M input + 500K output		$105$10.5
Context Window400K200K
Release Date

Use-Case Decision Matrix

Use caseBetter pickWhy
Budget-constrained productionSonar Pro SearchOn the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Sonar Pro Search is estimated at $10.5 vs $105 for GPT-5.2 Pro, saving $94.5 (90% lower).
High-volume input processingSonar Pro SearchLower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill.
Long responses and chatbotsSonar Pro SearchLower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens.
RAG or long-document workGPT-5.2 ProA larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files.

Related Alternatives

Same-provider lower-cost swaps
  • gpt-oss-120b (free) can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b (free) can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.
  • gpt-oss-20b can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.1.
  • gpt-oss-120b can replace GPT-5.2 Pro when lower sample workload cost matters most: $0.13.
Larger context near this budget
  • Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers 2M context with $5 sample workload cost.
  • Grok 4.20 offers 2M context with $2.5 sample workload cost.
  • GPT-5.5 offers 1.05M context with $20 sample workload cost.

Cheaper alternatives

Review low-cost models sorted by a standard 1M input plus 500K output workload.

Open cheapest models

Larger context alternatives

Find models with larger context windows for RAG, long documents, and codebase review.

Open largest context models

Provider catalogs

Compare models within provider hubs before choosing a final API vendor.

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OpenAI catalog

Review all tracked OpenAI models before deciding whether this matchup is the right shortlist.

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Perplexity catalog

Check other Perplexity models with comparable pricing, context, or release timing.

Open Perplexity models
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