Sonar API: Search-First AI

The only AI API that combines real-time search with language models for always-accurate, source-cited responses

Get Started in 5 Minutes Why Choose Sonar?

What Makes Sonar Different

While others focus on pure language models, Sonar is built on search-augmented generation

100%

Real-Time Information

Built-in

Source Citations

10x

Better at Facts

50%

Lower Hallucination Rate

Core Features

Everything developers need to build search-augmented AI applications

🔍

Real-Time Search

Always current information, never outdated training data

  • Web-scale index updated continuously
  • Breaking news and live events
  • Domain-specific search filters
  • Academic and research papers
📚

Automatic Citations

Every response includes verifiable sources

  • Inline source attribution
  • Confidence scoring
  • Direct quote extraction
  • Multi-source synthesis
⚡

Lightning Fast

Optimized for production applications

  • Sub-second response times
  • Streaming responses
  • Global edge network
  • 99.9% uptime SLA
🛠️

Developer-First

Built by developers, for developers

  • RESTful API design
  • Official SDKs (Python, JS, Go)
  • Interactive playground
  • Comprehensive documentation
💰

Cost-Effective

Better results at a fraction of the cost

  • Pay only for what you use
  • No hidden fees
  • Volume discounts
  • Free tier available
🔒

Enterprise Ready

Security and compliance built-in

  • SOC 2 Type II certified
  • GDPR compliant
  • Data residency options
  • SSO/SAML support

5-Minute Quick Start

From zero to your first API call in minutes

1

Get Your API Key

Sign up at perplexity.ai/api and get instant access

export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="pplx-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
2

Install the SDK

Choose your preferred language

pip install perplexity-python
npm install @perplexity/sdk
go get github.com/perplexity/go-sdk
3

Make Your First Call

Simple search-augmented query

from perplexity import Perplexity client = Perplexity(api_key="your-api-key") response = client.chat.completions.create( model="sonar-small-online", messages=[{ "role": "user", "content": "What are the latest AI breakthroughs in 2024?" }] ) print(response.choices[0].message.content) # Returns current, cited information about AI advances
🚀

Build Something Amazing

You're ready to create search-augmented AI applications!

  • Research assistants with real-time data
  • Customer support with accurate product info
  • Content generation with factual accuracy
  • And much more...

Sonar vs. The Competition

Why developers choose Sonar for search-augmented AI

Feature Sonar API OpenAI Anthropic Google
Real-time web search ✓ Built-in ✗ Limited ✗ No ✗ Separate API
Automatic citations ✓ Always included ✗ Manual ✗ No ✗ No
Current information ✓ Real-time ✗ Training cutoff ✗ Training cutoff ✗ Limited
Cost per 1M tokens ✓ $0.20 $3.00 $2.50 $1.25
Hallucination rate ✓ 50% lower Baseline Similar Similar
Response speed ✓ <1 second 1-3 seconds 1-2 seconds 2-4 seconds

Perfect Use Cases for Sonar

Where search-augmented AI shines

📰 News & Media

Always current, always accurate

  • Real-time news summaries
  • Fact-checking systems
  • Trend analysis
  • Breaking news alerts

🔬 Research & Academia

Cite-worthy information retrieval

  • Literature reviews
  • Citation networks
  • Research assistants
  • Knowledge synthesis

💼 Business Intelligence

Market insights at your fingertips

  • Competitive analysis
  • Market research
  • Industry reports
  • Trend forecasting

🛍️ E-commerce

Product information that sells

  • Product comparisons
  • Review synthesis
  • Shopping assistants
  • Price tracking

📚 Education

Learning with verified facts

  • Study assistants
  • Homework help
  • Curriculum development
  • Fact verification

🏥 Healthcare

Medical information you can trust

  • Symptom checkers
  • Drug interactions
  • Research updates
  • Patient education

Demo Applications

See Sonar in action - full source code available

💬

Research Chat Assistant

Academic research assistant with citations

# Real-time research with sources response = sonar.research( query="Latest CRISPR advances", sources=["pubmed", "arxiv"], min_year=2024 )
View on GitHub
📊

Market Intelligence Dashboard

Track competitors and market trends

# Monitor industry news insights = sonar.analyze_market( companies=["OpenAI", "Anthropic"], timeframe="24h", sentiment=True )
View on GitHub
🎓

Study Buddy

Educational assistant with fact-checking

# Homework help with sources answer = sonar.educate( question="Explain quantum computing", level="high_school", include_examples=True )
View on GitHub

Developer Resources

Everything you need to succeed with Sonar

📖

Documentation

Comprehensive guides, API reference, and tutorials to get you started quickly.

View Docs
🎮

Interactive Playground

Test API calls directly in your browser without writing any code.

Try Playground
💻

SDKs & Libraries

Official SDKs for Python, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, and more.

Get SDKs
🤝

Community

Join thousands of developers building with Sonar.

Join Discord

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Start free, scale as you grow

🎁

Free Tier

Perfect for prototyping

  • 5,000 requests/month
  • All models included
  • Community support
  • No credit card required

$0/month

🚀

Developer

For production applications

  • 100,000 requests/month
  • Priority support
  • 99.9% uptime SLA
  • Advanced analytics

$20/month

🏢

Enterprise

Custom solutions at scale

  • Unlimited requests
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom models
  • On-premise options

Contact Sales

Ready to Build with Sonar?

Join thousands of developers creating search-augmented AI applications

Get API Key Back to Strategy