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GPT-4o-mini vs Sonar

Detailed technical comparison between GPT-4o-mini (OpenAI) and Sonar (Perplexity). Review live API token pricing, context window capabilities, time-to-first-token latency, and verified benchmark scores side-by-side.

⚡ Executive Summary & Verdict

Comparison Snapshot

GPT-4o-mini: 6 WinsvsSonar: 0 Wins
Context Leader

GPT-4o-mini

128,000 tokens
Agentic Tool-Calling

Tie

Equal Capability
Lowest Latency (TTFT)

Tie

Equal Speed
Input Price Leader

GPT-4o-mini

$0.15 / MTok
OpenAIactive

GPT-4o-mini

GPT-4o mini is OpenAI's newest model after [GPT-4 Omni](/models/openai/gpt-4o), supporting both text and image inputs with text outputs. As their most advanced small model, it is many multiples more affordable...

View GPT-4o-mini Full Specs →
Perplexityactive

Sonar

Sonar is lightweight, affordable, fast, and simple to use — now featuring citations and the ability to customize sources. It is designed for companies seeking to integrate lightweight question-and-answer features...

View Sonar Full Specs →

Technical Specifications

🏆 = Superior Spec
SpecificationGPT-4o-miniSonar
ProviderOpenAIPerplexity
Context Window128,000 tokens🏆127,072 tokens
Agent Suitability82/100N/A
Time to First Token (TTFT)150 msN/A
Deployment Modelmanaged apimanaged api
Production Stabilitystablestable
API AvailableYesYes
Released Date2024-07-182025-01-27

API Pricing Comparison

Input Price per Million Tokens

GPT-4o-mini

$0.15

Sonar

$1.00

Output Price per Million Tokens

GPT-4o-mini

$0.60

Sonar

$1.00

💡 Cost Ratio: GPT-4o-mini is 6.7x cheaper per input token than Sonar.

Want to test both models live?

Run side-by-side prompt benchmarks in our dynamic multi-model Sandbox. Compare execution speeds, latency metrics, and compute actual costs in real-time.

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Benchmark Performance Metrics

Standardized Scores (0–100%)

Scores show verified raw accuracy percentages across standardized AI evaluation suites. Higher bars indicate superior performance in that domain.

MMLUGeneral knowledge & multi-task understanding
82.0%vs79.2%+2.8% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar
HumanEvalPython coding & logic synthesis
84.0%vs77.4%+6.6% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar
MATHComplex mathematical problem solving
70.2%vs54.6%+15.6% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar
GPQAGraduate-level expert reasoning
45.0%vs40.0%+5.0% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar
HellaSwagCommonsense reasoning and inference
84.7%vs82.2%+2.5% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar
MT-BenchMulti-turn conversation flow quality
8.6%vs8.5%+0.1% GPT-4o-mini
GPT-4o-mini 🏆
Sonar

GPT-4o-mini Quirks & Gotchas

  • ▸Ultra-low latency — best TTFT in the OpenAI lineup
  • ▸Tool calling limited to single-step — not suitable for complex agentic pipelines

Sonar Quirks & Gotchas

No developer gotchas reported.

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