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Azure OpenAI vs Perplexity Sonar API pricing

Azure OpenAI is cheaper to start: $0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, global against $1 per million input tokens, $1 per million output, plus $5 to $12 per 1,000 requests for Perplexity Sonar API. Azure OpenAI has changed its listed prices 4 times since 2023. Perplexity Sonar API has not changed its listed prices since 2026.

Azure OpenAI pricingPerplexity Sonar API pricingAdd a third product

Azure OpenAI vs Perplexity Sonar API at a glance

Current list prices as last read from each pricing page.

Azure OpenAI

Full analysis
Starts at
$0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, globalGPT-6 Luna, USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed)
Top listed plan
$10 per million input tokens, $50 per million output, globalGPT-6 Astra
Priced by
Usage based
Free plan
Not recorded
Price history
since 2023
Price changes
4

Perplexity Sonar API

Full analysis
Starts at
$1 per million input tokens, $1 per million output, plus $5 to $12 per 1,000 requestsSonar, USD per million tokens, before per request fees
Top listed plan
$3 per million input tokens, $15 per million output, plus $6 to $14 per 1,000 requestsSonar Pro
Priced by
Usage based
Free plan
Not recorded
Price history
since 2026
Price changes
none

Azure OpenAI vs Perplexity Sonar API price history

Both histories on one chart. The default line is each product's cheapest paid plan.

$0.02$0.05$0.10$0.20$0.50$1$2202420252026$1 Perplexity Sonar API Sonar, input$0.10 Azure OpenAI Cheapest model, input
Azure OpenAI: USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed). Perplexity Sonar API: USD per million tokens, before per request fees. Click a legend entry to add or hide a plan. Log scale.
Show the data as a table
ObservedAzure OpenAI Cheapest model, inputPerplexity Sonar API Sonar, input
Oct 20, 2023$1.50
Jan 5, 2024$1
May 19, 2024$0.50
Aug 1, 2024$0.15
Aug 1, 2025$0.05
Nov 1, 2025$0.05
Aug 1, 2026$0.20
Sep 1, 2026$0.10
Sep 21, 2026$1
Oct 3, 2026$0.10$1

Plans side by side

Every plan currently listed, with the price it started at where we have it.

Azure OpenAIUSD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed)

PlanPriceListed since
Flagship model, input$10was $30 in 2023Oct 2023
Flagship model, output$50was $60 in 2023Oct 2023
Cheapest model, input$0.10was $1.50 in 2023Oct 2023
Cheapest model, output$0.50was $2 in 2023Oct 2023

Perplexity Sonar APIUSD per million tokens, before per request fees

PlanPriceListed since
Sonar, input$1Sep 2026
Sonar, output$1Sep 2026
Sonar Pro, input$3Sep 2026
Sonar Pro, output$15Sep 2026

What changed, and when

Every dated price move we have on record for either product, newest first.

  1. Sep 2026Azure OpenAI changed its plans and prices. Flagship model, input went from $5 to $10 (+100%). Flagship model, output went from $30 to $50 (+67%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.20 to $0.10 (-50%). Cheapest model, output went from $1.20 to $0.50 (-58%).
  2. Aug 2026Azure OpenAI raised the Cheapest model input and output prices. Cheapest model, input went from $0.05 to $0.20 (+300%). Cheapest model, output went from $0.40 to $1.20 (+200%).
  3. May 2026Azure OpenAI raised the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $1.75 to $5 (+186%). Flagship model, output went from $14 to $30 (+114%).
  4. Dec 2025Azure OpenAI raised the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $1.25 to $1.75 (+40%). Flagship model, output went from $10 to $14 (+40%).
  5. Aug 2025Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and Cheapest model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $2.50 to $1.25 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.15 to $0.05 (-67%). Cheapest model, output went from $0.60 to $0.40 (-33%).
  6. Nov 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $5 to $2.50 (-50%). Flagship model, output went from $15 to $10 (-33%).
  7. Aug 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output and Cheapest model input and output prices. Flagship model, input went from $10 to $5 (-50%). Flagship model, output went from $30 to $15 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $0.50 to $0.15 (-70%). Cheapest model, output went from $1.50 to $0.60 (-60%).
  8. May 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Cheapest model input and output prices. Cheapest model, input went from $1 to $0.50 (-50%). Cheapest model, output went from $2 to $1.50 (-25%).
  9. Jan 2024Azure OpenAI cut the Flagship model input and output and Cheapest model input prices. Flagship model, input went from $30 to $10 (-67%). Flagship model, output went from $60 to $30 (-50%). Cheapest model, input went from $1.50 to $1 (-33%).

Azure OpenAI vs Perplexity Sonar API pricing questions

Is Azure OpenAI or Perplexity Sonar API cheaper?
Azure OpenAI starts lower at $0.1 per million input tokens, $0.5 per million output, global, Perplexity Sonar API at $1 per million input tokens, $1 per million output, plus $5 to $12 per 1,000 requests. Prices are as shown on each pricing page when it was last read.
Has Azure OpenAI or Perplexity Sonar API raised prices?
Azure OpenAI: Flagship model, input has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $30. It came down to $10 by Jan 2024 (-67%), then came down to $5 by Aug 2024 (-50%), then came down to $2.50 by Nov 2024 (-50%), then came down to $1.25 by Aug 2025 (-50%), then went up to $1.75 by Dec 2025 (+40%), then went up to $5 by May 2026 (+186%), and finally went up to $10 by Sep 2026 (+100%). Flagship model, output has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $60. It came down to $30 by Jan 2024 (-50%), then came down to $15 by Aug 2024 (-50%), then came down to $10 by Nov 2024 (-33%), then went up to $14 by Dec 2025 (+40%), then went up to $30 by May 2026 (+114%), and finally went up to $50 by Sep 2026 (+67%). Cheapest model, input has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $1.50. It came down to $1 by Jan 2024 (-33%), then came down to $0.50 by May 2024 (-50%), then came down to $0.15 by Aug 2024 (-70%), then came down to $0.05 by Aug 2025 (-67%), then went up to $0.20 by Aug 2026 (+300%), and finally came down to $0.10 by Sep 2026 (-50%). Cheapest model, output has been listed since Oct 2023, starting at $2. It came down to $1.50 by May 2024 (-25%), then came down to $0.60 by Aug 2024 (-60%), then came down to $0.40 by Aug 2025 (-33%), then went up to $1.20 by Aug 2026 (+200%), and finally came down to $0.50 by Sep 2026 (-58%). Perplexity Sonar API has not changed its listed prices since 2026.
How are Azure OpenAI and Perplexity Sonar API priced?
Azure OpenAI: usage based, USD per million tokens, standard global deployment (regional and Data Zone before global existed). Perplexity Sonar API: usage based, USD per million tokens, before per request fees.

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