o4-mini-deep-research is OpenAI's faster, more affordable deep research model—ideal for tackling complex, multi-step research tasks. Note: This model always uses the 'web_search' tool which adds additional cost.
Model details →OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research vs Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search
OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research wins on 3 of 6 axes — pricing and capability skew in its favour for most workloads.
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 on tokens plus $18 per thousand requests. T…
Model details →Side-by-side comparison
| Capability | OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research | Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context window Maximum number of input tokens the model can attend to in a single request. | 200K | 200K | Tie |
| Input price (per 1M) Cost per million input tokens billed by the provider. | $2.00 | $3.00 | 🏆 OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research |
| Output price (per 1M) Cost per million output tokens billed by the provider. | $8.00 | $15.00 | 🏆 OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research |
| Tool / function calling First-class support for emitting structured tool calls. | Yes | — | 🏆 OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research |
| Vision input Accepts image inputs alongside text. | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Reasoning mode Internal chain-of-thought / extended-thinking support. | Yes | Yes | Tie |
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research better than Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search?
OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research wins on 3 of 6 axes — pricing and capability skew in its favour for most workloads.
What's the price difference between OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research and Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search?
Input: $2.00 vs $3.00 per 1M tokens. Output: $8.00 vs $15.00 per 1M tokens.
What context windows do OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research and Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search support?
OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research supports up to 200K tokens. Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search supports up to 200K tokens.
Do both OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research and Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search support tool calling?
OpenAI: o4 Mini Deep Research: yes. Perplexity: Sonar Pro Search: not advertised.