Dolphin 2.9.3 72B vs Perplexity Sonar Pro

Compare Dolphin 2.9.3 72B and Perplexity Sonar Pro: pricing, performance, context window, latency, and best use cases. Side-by-side comparison on XALEN.

Updated 2026-05-21 · By Abhishek Raj · Our methodology

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Feature Dolphin 2.9.3 72B Perplexity Sonar Pro
CategoryOpen SourceSearch
Parameters72B~200B
Context Window128K200K
Input Price$0.04/1M tokens$0.003/1M tokens
Output Price$0.08/1M tokens$0.015/1M tokens
Latency~350ms~600ms

Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B when:

  • ✓ Creative writing
  • ✓ Unrestricted generation
  • ✓ Research
Key Strengths:

Uncensored, Strong instruction following, Versatile

Choose Perplexity Sonar Pro when:

  • ✓ Research Q&A
  • ✓ Fact-checking
  • ✓ Current events
Key Strengths:

Web-grounded, Auto-citations, Current information

Verdict: Dolphin 2.9.3 72B vs Perplexity Sonar Pro

For cost efficiency, Perplexity Sonar Pro wins at $0.003/1M input tokens. For speed, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B is faster at ~350ms. Dolphin 2.9.3 72B excels at Creative writing while Perplexity Sonar Pro is better for Research Q&A. Both are available on XALEN through a single API — try them in the Playground to see which fits your workload.

Detailed Analysis

Pricing Comparison

Dolphin 2.9.3 72B costs $0.04/1M input tokens and $0.08/1M output tokens. Perplexity Sonar Pro costs $0.003 input and $0.015 output. Perplexity Sonar Pro is 13.3x cheaper on input tokens. XALEN offers batch processing at 50% discount on both models.

Performance & Context

Dolphin 2.9.3 72B has a 128K context window with ~350ms latency. Perplexity Sonar Pro offers 200K context at ~600ms. Perplexity Sonar Pro has the larger context window.

Best For

Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source) is optimized for: Creative writing, Unrestricted generation, Research. Perplexity Sonar Pro (Search) works best for: Research Q&A, Fact-checking, Current events.

Try Both on XALEN

Both models are available through XALEN's OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between them by changing the model parameter:

from xalen import XALEN

client = XALEN(api_key="xln_test_YOUR_KEY")

# Use Dolphin 2.9.3 72B
response_a = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="dolphin-2-9-3-72b",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

# Use Perplexity Sonar Pro
response_b = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="perplexity-sonar-pro",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Your question here"}]
)

Start Building with XALEN

200+ AI models. One API. Pay-as-you-go.

Get API Key Try in Playground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Dolphin 2.9.3 72B or Perplexity Sonar Pro?

Dolphin 2.9.3 72B (Open Source, 72B) offers Uncensored. Perplexity Sonar Pro (Search, ~200B) offers Web-grounded. Choose Dolphin 2.9.3 72B for Creative writing or Perplexity Sonar Pro for Research Q&A.

How much does Dolphin 2.9.3 72B cost vs Perplexity Sonar Pro?

Dolphin 2.9.3 72B: $0.04/1M input, $0.08/1M output. Perplexity Sonar Pro: $0.003/1M input, $0.015/1M output. Both available on XALEN with batch processing at 50% discount.

Can I use both models on XALEN?

Yes. XALEN provides 200+ models through a single OpenAI-compatible API. Switch between Dolphin 2.9.3 72B and Perplexity Sonar Pro by changing the model parameter. No code changes needed.

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Last updated: 2026-05-21. Pricing and specifications may change. Check pricing page for latest rates.