Model comparison
GPT-5.2 Codex vs Sonar
GPT-5.2 Codex is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.6 to 38.5 on the Noometry Index. Sonar costs 4.8× less per token, which makes it the better buy when GPT-5.2 Codex's lead doesn't matter for your workload.
Last verified . 0 shared benchmarks.
Summary
- The widest gap is in coding, where GPT-5.2 Codex leads 45.5 to 35.7.
- Sonar is cheaper at $1 / $1 per million input/output tokens, against $1.75 / $14 for GPT-5.2 Codex.
- GPT-5.2 Codex accepts more context: 400K tokens versus 128K.
Side by side
| GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | OpenAI | Perplexity |
| Noometry Index | 42.6 | 38.5 |
| Released | 2025-12-18 | 2024-01-01 |
| Weights | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Context window | 400K | 128K |
| Max output | 128K | 4K |
| Input $ / M tokens | $1.75 | $1 |
| Output $ / M tokens | $14 | $1 |
| Results tracked | 5 | 7 |
Sponsored placements are available on pages like this one. Advertise on Noometry
Category by category
Coding GPT-5.2 Codex leads
GPT-5.2 Codex: 45.5 (#71), Sonar: 35.7 (#221)
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified (bash only) | 72.8% | — |
| LMArena WebDev | 1339 | — |
| SWE-bench Multilingual | 66.3% | — |
| LiveBench Coding | — | 35.1% |
| ALE-Bench | 1,300 | — |
Agentic & Tool Use Not comparable
GPT-5.2 Codex: 41.0 (#22), Sonar: —
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal-Bench | 66.5% | — |
Reasoning Not comparable
GPT-5.2 Codex: —, Sonar: 21.1 (#227)
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| LiveBench Reasoning | — | 46.3% |
| LiveBench Data Analysis | — | 37.9% |
| LiveBench | — | 46.9% |
Math Not comparable
GPT-5.2 Codex: —, Sonar: 33.7 (#200)
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| LiveBench Math | — | 41.6% |
Instruction Following Not comparable
GPT-5.2 Codex: —, Sonar: 71.4 (#150)
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| LiveBench Instruction Following | — | 76.2% |
Writing & Preference Not comparable
GPT-5.2 Codex: —, Sonar: 52.6 (#167)
| Benchmark | GPT-5.2 Codex | Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| LiveBench Language | — | 44.1% |
Frequently asked questions
Is GPT-5.2 Codex better than Sonar?
GPT-5.2 Codex is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.6 to 38.5 on the Noometry Index. Sonar costs 4.8× less per token, which makes it the better buy when GPT-5.2 Codex's lead doesn't matter for your workload.
Which is cheaper, GPT-5.2 Codex or Sonar?
Sonar is cheaper. It lists at $1 per million input tokens and $1 per million output tokens; GPT-5.2 Codex lists at $1.75 and $14.
Is GPT-5.2 Codex or Sonar better for coding?
GPT-5.2 Codex scores higher on coding benchmarks: 45.5 versus 35.7 in the Noometry coding category.
Which has the bigger context window?
GPT-5.2 Codex does, with 400K tokens against 128K.
How many benchmarks do GPT-5.2 Codex and Sonar share?
0 benchmarks have published results for both models. GPT-5.2 Codex has 5 scored results on Noometry and Sonar has 7.