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

# Perplexity

> Perplexity Sonar models in ZeroTwo — always-on web search with cited responses.

Perplexity AI specializes in search-grounded language models. Unlike conventional AI models that generate responses from training data, Perplexity's Sonar models **search the web as part of every response** — meaning responses are always grounded in current, cited sources.

***

## Available Models

| Model     | Type | Strengths                                                     | Plan Required  |
| --------- | ---- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| Sonar Pro | Text | Premium search-grounded model — deeper research, more sources | Pro+ (Premium) |
| Sonar     | Text | Standard search-grounded model — fast, web-connected          | Pro+           |

***

## What Makes Perplexity Different

Most AI models generate responses from training data and only optionally search the web (when you activate the Search pill). Perplexity's Sonar models work differently:

* **Always web-connected:** Every Sonar response involves a web search, regardless of whether you've activated the Search pill
* **Built-in citations:** Responses include source citations automatically — you can see exactly where each piece of information came from
* **Current information by default:** You don't need to ask for "current" or "recent" information — Sonar is always looking at live web content

This makes Sonar models uniquely suited for research, fact-checking, and any query where having the most up-to-date information matters.

***

## Strengths

**Research questions:** Sonar Pro is excellent for multi-faceted research questions that benefit from synthesizing multiple recent sources.

**Current events:** For news, market conditions, product releases, and any time-sensitive topic, Sonar's real-time web grounding is a significant advantage.

**Fact-checking:** Sonar's citation system makes it easy to verify claims — every assertion links back to a source you can inspect.

**Cited responses:** For professional or academic contexts where source attribution matters, Sonar provides this automatically.

***

## Best Use Cases

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Research questions" icon="search">
    Questions that require synthesizing multiple current sources — Sonar Pro handles depth and breadth.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Current events" icon="globe">
    News, market data, sports results, product launches — anything time-sensitive where training data would be stale.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Fact-checking" icon="check-circle">
    Verify claims with live sources and automatic citations that link to primary sources.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quick research" icon="zap">
    Standard Sonar provides fast, web-grounded answers for everyday research queries.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## When to Use Perplexity vs. Web Search

You can add web search to any model by activating the Search pill in ZeroTwo. How is that different from using Sonar directly?

|                     | ZeroTwo Search + Any Model | Perplexity Sonar            |
| ------------------- | -------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Web search behavior | Optional, per-message      | Always on                   |
| Citations           | In Sources panel           | Inline in response          |
| Search depth        | Good                       | Deep (especially Sonar Pro) |
| Response style      | AI model's style + sources | Perplexity's research style |
| Premium quota       | Depends on model           | Sonar uses Pro+ quota       |

**Use Perplexity Sonar when:** you want comprehensive, always-cited responses and don't want to think about activating search each time.

**Use Web Search + another model when:** you prefer a specific model's response style but want web augmentation for specific queries.

***

<Tip>
  When using Perplexity Sonar models, you may not need to enable the Web Search tool pill — Sonar searches automatically. Activating the Search pill is redundant with Sonar and won't cause issues, but it's unnecessary.
</Tip>