It searches the web and shows where answers come from, which suits research. Our editorial pick; its smartness rating is low because it is built for search, not for hard thinking.
Made by Perplexity, the company behind Perplexity. Smartness: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 of 5) Reads at once: about 300 pages 1,000-word essay: $0.02 (about 2 cents) 50-page PDF summary: $0.11 (about 11 cents)
A capable, fast model at a fraction of the top models' price. Our editorial pick.
Made by Google, the company behind Gemini. Smartness: ★★★★☆ (4 of 5) Reads at once: about 1,570 pages 1,000-word essay: $0.01 (about 1 cent) 50-page PDF summary: $0.03 (about 3 cents)
Cited answers with basic models and limited usage.
Limited daily and weekly usage; no numbers. Checked 2026-10-16; free plans can change. See every app's free plan.
What a 100-message chat costs with each pick
The best pick costs $3.94; the budget pick costs $1.08. These are developer prices, so they show relative cost, not your monthly bill.
Bar scale
Gemini 3.8 Flash (budget pick)$1.08
Sonar Pro (best pick)$3.94
Show the data as a table
Model
Cost of a 100-message chat
Gemini 3.8 Flash (budget pick)
$1.08
Sonar Pro (best pick)
$3.94
Bars use a straight scale: a bar twice as long means twice the cost. Only the two picks above. Source: OpenRouter list prices and the assumptions on How we work.