Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
API cost decision in 10 seconds
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent vs Sonar Pro Search
Pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when budget and context both matter.
Pricing data updated:
Prices normalized to USD per 1M tokens
Sample workload: 1M input + 500K output
Budget verdict
Pick Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when budget and context both matter.
On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $10.5 for Sonar Pro Search, saving $5.5 (52.4% lower).
Cost-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Context-first pickGrok 4.20 Multi-Agent
Sample savings$5.552.4%
10x traffic gap$55
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is cheaper on the standard workload and also has the larger context window. At 10x that traffic, the same price gap is about $55. Use the calculator below to replace the sample workload with your own token volume.
Cost sensitivity
Workload Sensitivity
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent stays cheaper across input-heavy, balanced, and output-heavy sample workloads.
| Workload shape | Token mix | Better pick | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | Sonar Pro Search |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Input-heavy / RAG | 5M input + 500K output | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | $13 | $22.5 |
| Balanced workload | 1M input + 1M output | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | $8 | $18 |
| Output-heavy chatbot | 1M input + 5M output | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | $32 | $78 |
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.8M more context (10x larger).
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $5.5 cheaper on the standard workload (52.4% lower).
Estimate your workload cost
Your Workload Cost
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
Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has the lower input price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has the lower output price; Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent offers the larger context window. For the 1M input plus 500K output sample, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is cheaper for the standard workload.
For a 1M input token plus 500K output token workload, the estimated API cost is $5 for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent and $10.5 for Sonar Pro Search.
Choose Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when you care most about lower input-token price, lower output-token price, and larger context window.
Choose Sonar Pro Search when its provider, model quality, latency, or availability is more important than the numeric price/context winner.
- On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $10.5 for Sonar Pro Search, saving $5.5 (52.4% lower).
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $5.5 cheaper on the standard workload (52.4% lower).
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $1 cheaper per 1M input tokens (33.3% lower; 1.5x difference).
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is $9 cheaper per 1M output tokens (60% lower; 2.5x difference).
- Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent has 1.8M more context (10x larger).
| Feature | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent (xAI) | Sonar Pro Search (Perplexity) |
|---|---|---|
| Input Price prompt tokens per 1M | $2 | $3 |
| Completion Price per 1M tokens | $6 | $15 |
| Sample Workload Cost 1M input + 500K output | $5 | $10.5 |
| Context Window | 2M | 200K |
| Release Date |
Use-Case Decision Matrix
| Use case | Better pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Budget-constrained production | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | On the standard 1M input plus 500K output workload, Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent is estimated at $5 vs $10.5 for Sonar Pro Search, saving $5.5 (52.4% lower). |
| High-volume input processing | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | Lower prompt-token price matters most when prompts, retrieved passages, or documents dominate the bill. |
| Long responses and chatbots | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | Lower output-token price matters most when assistants generate many completion tokens. |
| RAG or long-document work | Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent | A larger context window leaves more room for retrieved passages, conversation history, or source files. |
Related Alternatives
- Grok Build 0.1 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.
- Grok 4.3 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.5.
- Grok 4.20 can replace Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent when lower sample workload cost matters most: $2.5.
- Sonar can replace Sonar Pro Search when lower sample workload cost matters most: $1.5.
- Llama 4 Scout offers 10M context with $0.23 sample workload cost.
- No popular competitor is currently available.
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