AI Models · Paid vs Paid

Sonar Pro Search Paid vs AMNova 2 Lite Paid

Sonar Pro Search vs Nova 2 Lite 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 Pro SearchPaidPerplexity
$3 /M input
$15 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window200K tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
AMNova 2 LitePaidAmazon
$0.3 /M input
$2.5 /M outputManaged API (no infra to run)
TypeProprietary
Context window1M tokens
MultimodalYes
Self-hostNo
Choose Nova 2 Lite for the lower output price ($2.5/M vs $15/M). It also gives you the larger 1M context window.

Sonar Pro Search vs Nova 2 Lite specs

SpecSonar Pro SearchNova 2 LiteWinner
MakerPerplexityAmazon
TypeProprietaryProprietary
Context window200K tokens1M tokensAMNova 2 Lite
Input price$3/M$0.3/MAMNova 2 Lite
Output price$15/M$2.5/MAMNova 2 Lite
Vision / multimodalYesYes= Tie
Tool / function callingNoYesAMNova 2 Lite
Self-hostableNo (API only)No (API only)
LicenseProprietaryProprietary

Price gap & when to choose each

6.0×cheaper per output token

Nova 2 Lite is ~6.0× cheaper than Sonar Pro Search on output tokens ($2.5 vs $15 per M tokens).

Choose Sonar Pro Search if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure
AMChoose Nova 2 Lite if…
  • You want frontier performance through a managed API
  • You need the longer 1M context window
  • You want the lower output price
  • You value reliability & ecosystem
  • You don't want to manage infrastructure

Feature comparison

CapabilitySonar Pro SearchNova 2 Lite
Open weights (downloadable)
Self-hostable
Runs fully offline
Vision / multimodal
Tool / function calling
1M+ context window

How Sonar Pro Search and Nova 2 Lite score

🏆 Best value & openness: Nova 2 Lite (3.4 vs 2.6 / 5)
CriterionSonar Pro SearchNova 2 Lite
Cost-efficiency3.04.5
Context window4.05.0
Openness1.51.5
Self-hosting1.01.0
Multimodality3.55.0

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 Pro Search Paid

Perplexity · Proprietary

Exclusively available on the OpenRouter API, Sonar Pro's new Pro Search mode is Perplexity's most advanced agentic search system. It is designed for deeper reasoning and analysis. Pricing is based...

Nova 2 Lite Paid

Amazon · Proprietary

Nova 2 Lite is a fast, cost-effective reasoning model for everyday workloads that can process text, images, and videos to generate text. Nova 2 Lite demonstrates standout capabilities in processing...

Frequently asked questions

Sonar Pro Search vs Nova 2 Lite — which is cheaper?

Nova 2 Lite is cheaper on output ($2.5/M vs $15/M).

Which has the larger context window?

Nova 2 Lite offers the larger context window (1M tokens).

Sonar Pro Search vs Nova 2 Lite — which should I pick in 2026?

Choose Nova 2 Lite for the lower output price ($2.5/M vs $15/M). It also gives you the larger 1M context window.

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