387 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
387 lines
10 KiB
Markdown
# Perplexity Model Comparison
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Guide to different Perplexity models available through OpenRouter and when to use each.
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## Available Models
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All Perplexity models are accessed through OpenRouter using the format:
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`openrouter/perplexity/[model-name]`
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### Sonar Pro Search
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**Model ID**: `openrouter/perplexity/sonar-pro-search`
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**Best for:**
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- Complex multi-step research questions
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- Queries requiring deep analysis and synthesis
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- Situations needing comprehensive source exploration
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- Comparative analyses across multiple domains
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- Research requiring agentic reasoning workflow
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**Characteristics:**
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- Most advanced agentic search system
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- Executes multi-step reasoning workflows
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- Uses tools and intermediate queries
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- Provides most comprehensive answers
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- Higher cost due to extensive processing
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**Use cases:**
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- "Conduct a comprehensive analysis of competing CAR-T cell therapy approaches, including mechanism differences, clinical outcomes, and cost-effectiveness"
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- "Compare quantum computing approaches for drug discovery with traditional computational methods across multiple metrics"
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- Research questions requiring synthesis from many sources
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**Pricing** (approximate):
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- Input: $3/million tokens
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- Output: $15/million tokens
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- Request fee: $18 per 1000 requests
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**Context window**: 200K tokens
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### Sonar Pro
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**Model ID**: `openrouter/perplexity/sonar-pro`
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**Best for:**
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- General-purpose research and search
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- Balanced performance and cost
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- Standard scientific queries
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- Quick information gathering
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- Most use cases
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**Characteristics:**
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- Enhanced capabilities over base Sonar
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- Good balance of quality and cost
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- Reliable for most queries
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- Faster than Pro Search
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- Recommended default choice
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**Use cases:**
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- "What are the latest developments in CRISPR base editing?"
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- "Summarize recent clinical trials for Alzheimer's treatment"
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- "Explain how transformer architectures work in modern LLMs"
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- Standard literature searches
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- Technical documentation queries
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**Pricing** (approximate):
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- Lower cost than Pro Search
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- Good cost-performance ratio
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**Context window**: 200K tokens
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### Sonar
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**Model ID**: `openrouter/perplexity/sonar`
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**Best for:**
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- Basic searches and queries
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- Cost-sensitive applications
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- Simple fact-finding
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- High-volume queries
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- Quick lookups
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**Characteristics:**
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- Base model with solid performance
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- Most cost-effective option
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- Faster response times
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- Good for straightforward queries
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- Lower accuracy than Pro variants
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**Use cases:**
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- "What is the molecular weight of aspirin?"
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- "When was CRISPR-Cas9 first used in humans?"
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- "List the main symptoms of diabetes"
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- Simple fact verification
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- Basic information retrieval
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**Pricing** (approximate):
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- Lowest cost option
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- Best for high-volume simple queries
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**Context window**: 200K tokens
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### Sonar Reasoning Pro
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**Model ID**: `openrouter/perplexity/sonar-reasoning-pro`
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**Best for:**
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- Complex logical reasoning tasks
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- Multi-step problem solving
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- Technical analysis requiring step-by-step thinking
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- Mathematical or computational problems
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- Queries needing explicit reasoning chains
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**Characteristics:**
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- Advanced reasoning capabilities
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- Shows step-by-step thinking
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- Better for analytical tasks
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- Excels at technical problem-solving
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- More structured outputs
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**Use cases:**
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- "Walk through the steps to design a clinical trial for testing a novel cancer therapy"
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- "Analyze the computational complexity of different protein folding algorithms"
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- "Reason through the molecular mechanisms linking multiple genes to a disease phenotype"
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- Technical troubleshooting with multiple steps
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- Logical analysis of complex systems
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**Pricing** (approximate):
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- Higher cost due to reasoning capabilities
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- Worth it for complex analytical tasks
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**Context window**: 200K tokens
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### Sonar Reasoning
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**Model ID**: `openrouter/perplexity/sonar-reasoning`
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**Best for:**
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- Basic reasoning tasks
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- Cost-effective analytical queries
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- Simpler logical problems
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- Step-by-step explanations
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**Characteristics:**
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- Basic reasoning capabilities
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- More affordable than Reasoning Pro
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- Good for moderate complexity tasks
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- Shows logical thinking process
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**Use cases:**
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- "Explain the logic behind vaccine efficacy calculations"
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- "Walk through basic statistical analysis steps"
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- Simple analytical questions
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- Educational explanations
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**Pricing** (approximate):
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- Lower cost than Reasoning Pro
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- Good balance for basic reasoning
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**Context window**: 200K tokens
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## Model Selection Guide
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### Decision Tree
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```
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Is your query complex and requiring deep multi-step analysis?
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├─ YES → Use Sonar Pro Search
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└─ NO → Continue
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Does your query require explicit step-by-step reasoning?
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├─ YES → Use Sonar Reasoning Pro (complex) or Sonar Reasoning (simple)
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└─ NO → Continue
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Is this a standard research or information query?
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├─ YES → Use Sonar Pro (recommended default)
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└─ NO → Continue
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Is this a simple fact-finding or basic lookup?
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├─ YES → Use Sonar (cost-effective)
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└─ NO → Use Sonar Pro (safe default)
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```
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### By Use Case
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| Use Case | Recommended Model | Alternative |
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|----------|------------------|-------------|
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| Literature review | Sonar Pro | Sonar Pro Search |
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| Quick fact check | Sonar | Sonar Pro |
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| Complex analysis | Sonar Pro Search | Sonar Reasoning Pro |
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| Step-by-step tutorial | Sonar Reasoning Pro | Sonar Pro |
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| Cost-sensitive bulk queries | Sonar | Sonar Pro |
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| General research | Sonar Pro | Sonar |
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| Technical debugging | Sonar Reasoning Pro | Sonar Pro |
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| Comparative analysis | Sonar Pro Search | Sonar Pro |
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### By Domain
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**Biomedical Research:**
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- Default: Sonar Pro
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- Complex mechanisms: Sonar Reasoning Pro
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- Literature synthesis: Sonar Pro Search
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- Quick lookups: Sonar
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**Computational Science:**
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- Default: Sonar Pro
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- Algorithm analysis: Sonar Reasoning Pro
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- Technical docs: Sonar Pro
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- Basic syntax: Sonar
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**Drug Discovery:**
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- Default: Sonar Pro
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- Multi-target analysis: Sonar Pro Search
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- Mechanism reasoning: Sonar Reasoning Pro
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- Compound properties: Sonar
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**Clinical Research:**
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- Default: Sonar Pro
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- Trial design: Sonar Reasoning Pro
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- Evidence synthesis: Sonar Pro Search
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- Basic guidelines: Sonar
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## Performance Characteristics
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### Response Time
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**Fastest to Slowest:**
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1. Sonar (fastest)
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2. Sonar Pro
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3. Sonar Reasoning
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4. Sonar Reasoning Pro
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5. Sonar Pro Search (slowest, due to multi-step processing)
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**Considerations:**
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- For time-sensitive queries, use Sonar or Sonar Pro
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- For comprehensive analysis, accept the slower Sonar Pro Search
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- Reasoning models are slower due to explicit thinking steps
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### Quality vs Cost Trade-offs
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**Quality Hierarchy** (highest to lowest):
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1. Sonar Pro Search
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2. Sonar Reasoning Pro
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3. Sonar Pro
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4. Sonar Reasoning
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5. Sonar
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**Cost Hierarchy** (most to least expensive):
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1. Sonar Pro Search
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2. Sonar Reasoning Pro
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3. Sonar Pro
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4. Sonar Reasoning
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5. Sonar
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**Recommendation**: Start with Sonar Pro as the default. Upgrade to Pro Search for complex queries, downgrade to Sonar for simple lookups.
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### Accuracy and Comprehensiveness
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**Most Comprehensive:**
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- Sonar Pro Search: Explores multiple sources, synthesizes deeply
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- Sonar Reasoning Pro: Thorough step-by-step analysis
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**Most Accurate:**
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- Sonar Pro Search: Best source verification and cross-checking
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- Sonar Pro: Reliable for most queries
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**Good Enough:**
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- Sonar: Adequate for simple facts and basic queries
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## Special Considerations
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### Context Window
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All models support 200K token context windows:
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- Sufficient for most queries
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- Can handle long documents or multiple sources
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- Consider chunking very large analyses
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### Temperature Settings
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Different models benefit from different temperature settings:
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**Sonar Pro Search:**
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- Default: 0.2 (more focused, analytical)
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- Use lower (0.0-0.1) for factual queries
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- Use higher (0.3-0.5) for creative synthesis
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**Sonar Reasoning Pro:**
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- Default: 0.2
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- Keep low (0.0-0.2) for logical consistency
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- Reasoning quality degrades at high temperatures
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**Sonar Pro / Sonar:**
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- Default: 0.2
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- Adjust based on query type (factual vs exploratory)
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### Rate Limits and Quotas
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OpenRouter enforces rate limits:
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- Check your OpenRouter dashboard for current limits
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- Consider request batching for high-volume use
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- Monitor costs with OpenRouter's tracking tools
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### API Key Security
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**Best practices:**
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- Never commit API keys to version control
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- Use environment variables or .env files
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- Rotate keys periodically
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- Monitor usage for unexpected activity
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- Use separate keys for different projects
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## Example Comparisons
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### Query: "Explain CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing"
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**Sonar:**
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- Quick overview
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- Basic mechanism explanation
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- ~200-300 tokens
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- 1-2 sources cited
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- Cost: $0.001
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**Sonar Pro:**
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- Detailed explanation
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- Multiple mechanisms covered
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- ~500-800 tokens
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- 3-5 sources cited
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- Cost: $0.003
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**Sonar Reasoning Pro:**
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- Step-by-step mechanism breakdown
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- Logical flow of editing process
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- ~800-1200 tokens
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- Shows reasoning steps
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- Cost: $0.005
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**Sonar Pro Search:**
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- Comprehensive analysis
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- Multiple sources synthesized
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- Historical context included
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- Recent developments covered
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- ~1500-2000 tokens
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- 10+ sources explored
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- Cost: $0.020+
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### Query: "What is 2+2?"
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All models return accurate answer. Use Sonar for simple queries to minimize cost.
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### Query: "Design a clinical trial for novel immunotherapy"
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**Sonar:**
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- Basic template provided
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- May miss important details
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- Cost-effective but incomplete
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**Sonar Pro:**
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- Solid trial design framework
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- Covers main components
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- Good starting point
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**Sonar Reasoning Pro:**
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- Detailed step-by-step design
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- Considers multiple factors
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- Shows reasoning for each choice
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- **Recommended for this query type**
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**Sonar Pro Search:**
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- Most comprehensive design
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- Incorporates best practices from multiple sources
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- Compares different approaches
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- May be overkill for initial design
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## Summary
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**Default recommendation**: Start with **Sonar Pro** for most scientific queries.
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**When to upgrade:**
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- Complex multi-step analysis → Sonar Pro Search
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- Explicit reasoning needed → Sonar Reasoning Pro
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**When to downgrade:**
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- Simple facts or lookups → Sonar
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- Cost-sensitive bulk queries → Sonar
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**Remember**: The best model depends on your specific use case, budget, and quality requirements. Monitor your usage and adjust model selection based on results.
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