AI Models · Paid vs Paid

Sonar Deep Research Paid vs Seed-2.0-Code Paid

Sonar Deep Research vs Seed-2.0-Code compared — price per token, context window, multimodality, openness and which to choose. Full 2026 breakdown.

Prices & specs refreshed from live data · olud.ai

Open-model prices = cheapest provider via OpenRouter; official maker rates may be higher.

Sonar Deep ResearchPaidPerplexity
$2 /M input
$8 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window128K tokens
MultimodalNo
Self-hostNo
Seed-2.0-CodePaidByteDance Seed
$0.5 /M input
$3 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window262K tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
Choose Seed-2.0-Code for the lower output price ($3/M vs $8/M). It also gives you the larger 262K context window.

Sonar Deep Research vs Seed-2.0-Code specs

SpecSonar Deep ResearchSeed-2.0-CodeWinner
MakerPerplexityByteDance Seed
TypeProprietaryProprietary
Context window128K tokens262K tokensSeed-2.0-Code
Input price$2/M$0.5/MSeed-2.0-Code
Output price$8/M$3/MSeed-2.0-Code
Vision / multimodalNoYesSeed-2.0-Code
Tool / function callingNoYesSeed-2.0-Code
Self-hostableNo (API only)No (API only)
LicenseProprietaryProprietary

Price gap & when to choose each

2.7×cheaper per output token

Seed-2.0-Code is ~2.7× cheaper than Sonar Deep Research on output tokens ($3 vs $8 per M tokens).

Choose Sonar Deep Research if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure
Choose Seed-2.0-Code if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You need the longer 262K context window
  • You want the lower output price
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure

Feature comparison

CapabilitySonar Deep ResearchSeed-2.0-Code
Open weights (downloadable)
Self-hostable
Runs fully offline
Vision / multimodal
Tool / function calling
1M+ context window

How Sonar Deep Research and Seed-2.0-Code score

🏆 Best value & openness: Seed-2.0-Code (3.1 vs 2.3 / 5)
CriterionSonar Deep ResearchSeed-2.0-Code
Cost-efficiency3.54.0
Context window3.54.0
Openness1.51.5
Self-hosting1.01.0
Multimodality2.05.0

Scores come from live data — output price (cost), context length, open vs closed weights (openness & self-hosting) and vision/tool support (multimodality). Raw task quality isn't scored here; it depends on your benchmark — see the verdict.

What each model is

Sonar Deep Research Paid

Perplexity · Proprietary

Sonar Deep Research is a research-focused model designed for multi-step retrieval, synthesis, and reasoning across complex topics. It autonomously searches, reads, and evaluates sources, refining its approach as it gathers...

Seed-2.0-Code Paid

ByteDance Seed · Proprietary

Seed 2.0 Code is a model from ByteDance Seed optimized for agentic coding. It is suited for frontend development, multilingual programming tasks, and coding-agent workflows in tools such as Claude...

Frequently asked questions

Sonar Deep Research vs Seed-2.0-Code — which is cheaper?

Seed-2.0-Code is cheaper on output ($3/M vs $8/M).

Which has the larger context window?

Seed-2.0-Code offers the larger context window (262K tokens).

Sonar Deep Research vs Seed-2.0-Code — which should I pick in 2026?

Choose Seed-2.0-Code for the lower output price ($3/M vs $8/M). It also gives you the larger 262K context window.

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