GPT-5 Mini vs Sonar
Cost and capability comparison. For a sample workload of 1,000 input and 500 output tokens across 100,000 requests/month, GPT-5 Mini is cheaper by about $25.00/month.
| GPT-5 Mini | Sonar | |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence | ||
| Arena · Overall(LMArena Elo — higher is better) | 1373✓ | — |
| Arena rank (overall) | #85✓ | — |
| Arena · Coding | 1388✓ | — |
| Arena · Math & reasoning | 1390✓ | — |
| Arena · Agentic / tool use | 1378✓ | — |
| Score evidence | Measured | — |
| Pricing (USD / 1M tokens) | ||
| Input | $0.2500✓ | $1.00 |
| Output | $2.00 | $1.00✓ |
| Cached input (read) | $0.0250✓ | — |
| Cache write | — | — |
| Blended(3:1 input:output blend) | $0.6875✓ | $1.00 |
| Specs & capabilities | ||
| Provider | OpenAI | Perplexity |
| Context window | 128K (128,000) | 128K (128,000) |
| Max output | 64,000✓ | — |
| Modalities | text, image | text |
| Vision | Yes | No |
| Tool use | Yes | No |
| Reasoning | Yes | No |
| Prompt caching | Yes | No |
| Batch pricing | Yes | No |
| Tokenizer | o200k_base | approx |
| Release date | — | — |
| Status | ga | ga |
Intelligence scores are community Arena ratings from LMArena / arena.ai, used under CC BY 4.0. Snapshot last refreshed 27 August 2026. Scores are a relative signal, not an absolute measure of capability. A Measured score was voted on directly; an Estimated score is inherited from an identical base model (a regional/creator-prefixed hosting duplicate). See our methodology.
Compare on your own workload
GPT-5 Mini and Sonar are pre-loaded. Adjust the tokens and monthly volume to see which is cheaper for your usage.
Used unless you set active users below.
Results update automatically as you type.
| GPT-5 Mini | OpenAI | $0.00125 | $125.00 | $1,500.00 | 128,000 |
| Sonar | Perplexity | $0.00150 | $150.00 | $1,800.00 | 128,000 |
FAQ
Which is cheaper, GPT-5 Mini or Sonar?
For a workload of 1,000 input and 500 output tokens over 100,000 requests/month, GPT-5 Mini is cheaper, costing about $125.00/month versus $150.00/month.
What is the context window of GPT-5 Mini and Sonar?
GPT-5 Mini supports 128,000 tokens, while Sonar supports 128,000 tokens.
Estimates for planning only. Verify current pricing with each provider.