> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getcited.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Perplexity Sonar

> Perplexity's family of search models — available in standard and Pro variants — that power its citation-explicit answer engine.

**Perplexity Sonar** is Perplexity's family of search models, available in two main variants: Sonar (standard, faster, cheaper) and Sonar Pro (advanced reasoning, higher cost). Both perform real-time web retrieval and return synthesized answers with explicit source [citations](/glossary/citation) — the behaviour that makes Perplexity the most citation-focused platform Cited tracks.

## Why it matters

The Sonar / Sonar Pro distinction is part of Perplexity's product lineup that subscribers may encounter when reading about Perplexity's API or web experience. The two tiers produce overlapping but not identical response patterns — Sonar Pro tends to be more thorough at higher cost; Sonar is the default for most consumer Perplexity sessions.

## How Cited uses it

Cited measures Perplexity at the tier most users actually encounter, so the data your dashboard shows reflects the experience your customers see. The underlying measurement infrastructure handles tier selection — you don't need to think about Sonar vs Sonar Pro to read your [Perplexity citation rate](/glossary/citation-rate) or [mention rate](/glossary/mention-rate) on the dashboard.

## Related concepts

* [How Perplexity ranks sources](/concepts/platforms/how-perplexity-ranks-sources) — Sonar's source selection behaviour
* [Which AI platforms we track](/methodology/which-llms-we-track) — the full tracked-platform set
* [RAG](/glossary/rag) — the retrieval mechanism Sonar uses