GPT-3.5 Turbo vs Perplexity Sonar
Performance benchmarks + pricing comparison — updated April 2026
GPT-3.5 Turbo
OpenAIBudget model for simple tasks. Being phased out but still widely used.
| Input | $0.500/M |
| Output | $1.50/M |
| Context | 16K tokens |
| Best For | Simple chatbots, basic text generation |
| Benchmark | 40/100 |
Perplexity Sonar
PerplexityPerplexity's standard search model. Fast, cited answers at lower cost than Sonar Pro.
| Input | $1.00/M |
| Output | $1.00/M |
| Context | 128K tokens |
| Best For | Quick research, fact-checking, search-augmented chat |
Cost Comparison by Scenario
Estimated cost per project with 30% cache hit rate. Actual costs may vary based on usage patterns.
| Scenario | GPT-3.5 Turbo | Perplexity Sonar | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Script (1K lines) | $0.06 | $0.07 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves <$0.01 (4%) |
| Medium Feature (10K lines) | $0.48 | $0.55 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.08 (14%) |
| Large Project (50K lines) | $2.38 | $2.75 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.38 (14%) |
| Code Review (5K lines) | $0.13 | $0.20 | GPT-3.5 Turbo saves $0.07 (37%) |
Verdict
GPT-3.5 Turbo wins on both price and performance — $0.500/M input with a benchmark score of N/A/100.
For most developers, this is the clear choice between these two models.
Compare with Other Models
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