Nova Micro 1.0 vs Sonar
Updated October 21, 2026. 5 benchmarks have a result for both. Coding is ranked on the Vibe Coding Index; every other board is shown as published.
Decision reading
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Nova Micro 1.0 has the edge where output tokens cost 7.1x less, and where the context window is larger, 128K against 127K tokens.
- Shared results
- 5
- Nova Micro 1.0 only
- 34
- Sonar only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 4 of 9
Shared results can support a head-to-head reading. Results only one model has describe coverage, not superiority.
Which one for your work
Each card is decided by one number both models carry. Where only one has it, the card says so and makes no call.
Coding
Vibe Coding Index, six public coding benchmarks
No call
Neither has a coding score yet.
One side not measured
Intelligence
AA Intelligence Index
Sonar
Sonar leads, 7.7 against 5.9.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
Nova Micro 1.0
Nova Micro 1.0 takes 128K tokens against 127K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Nova Micro 1.0
Nova Micro 1.0 $0.0001, Sonar $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Nova Micro 1.0 not benchmarked, Sonar not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Knowledge, 15.8 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run): Nova Micro 1.0 53.1% against Sonar 68.9%, 15.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Nova Micro 1.0 $0.14 against Sonar $1.00 per million output tokens, 7.1x apart.
- Context window
- Nova Micro 1.0 takes 128K tokens, Sonar 127K.
Benchmark by benchmark
First the score: boards each model leads, per category, where both have a result. Then every board, a category to a fold; bars are each result on a 0 to 100 scale, so compare the two in a row, not one row with another.
| Category | Nova Micro 1.0 | Bars | Sonar | Ties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding | 0 | 1 | ||
| Intelligence | 0 | 1 | ||
| Reasoning | 0 | 2 | ||
| Knowledge | 0 | 1 | ||
| All shared boards | 0 | 5 |
CodingLike-for-likeSix of these boards feed the Vibe Coding Index01
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 14.0% | 29.5% | Sonar |
| Terminal-Bench Hard (Artificial Analysis run) | 1.5% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: coding | 1218 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: software and IT | 1215 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 34 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 5.9 | 7.7 | Sonar |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index1 board, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| τ²-Bench Telecom | 14.0% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 35.8% | 47.1% | Sonar |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.6% | 4.9% | Sonar |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts | 1191 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: expert | 1183 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: hard prompts in English | 1203 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 16 boards here | |||
MathDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index4 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Math Index | 6.0 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| AIME 2025 (Artificial Analysis run) | 6.0% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: math | 1206 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: mathematical work | 1212 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 9 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 53.1% | 68.9% | Sonar |
| MMLU | 70.8% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: science | 1210 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: medicine and healthcare | 1207 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: legal and government | 1221 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: business and finance | 1182 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 11 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralDirectional onlyPublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index18 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFBench | 29.4% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Long context reasoning (AA-LCR) | 13.0% | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text | 1208 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: instruction following | 1174 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: creative writing | 1172 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: English | 1224 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: non-English | 1186 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: Chinese | 1209 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: German | 1192 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: Japanese | 1154 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: Korean | 1150 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: French | 1238 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: Spanish | 1225 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: Russian | 1185 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: multi-turn | 1178 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: longer queries | 1205 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: writing and language | 1192 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| LMArena Text: entertainment and media | 1163 | Not measured | Only Nova Micro 1.0 measured |
| Neither model has a result on the other 28 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Nova Micro 1.0 | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 5 boards here | |||
What each workload costs
Three fixed token mixes at each model's listed price, so per-token rates become a bill.
Chat turn
1K input + 500 output tokens
Nova Micro 1.0 costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Nova Micro 1.0 costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Nova Micro 1.0 costs less
Listed OpenRouter rates, without cache or batch discounts. A workload that does not fit a model's context window would need splitting.
Specification differences
The leading value in a row is marked; a row with a missing value names no leader. Our two rows are marked in red.
| Specification | Amazon Nova Micro 1.0 | Perplexity Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Amazon | Perplexity |
| Weights | No public weights listed | No public weights listed |
| Released | December 5, 2024 | January 27, 2025 |
| Context window | 128K | 127K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.035 | $1.00 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.14 | $1.00 |
| Coding index | Not benchmarked | Not benchmarked |
| Independent measurements behind it | 0 | 0 |
| Cost per solved task | Not computable | Not computable |
| Source | OpenRouter listing | OpenRouter listing |
Questions
Is Nova Micro 1.0 better than Sonar for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Nova Micro 1.0 has the edge where output tokens cost 7.1x less, and where the context window is larger, 128K against 127K tokens.
Which is cheaper, Nova Micro 1.0 or Sonar?
Nova Micro 1.0 costs $0.035 per million input tokens and $0.14 per million output tokens; Sonar costs $1.00 and $1.00. Cost per solved task is known for neither of them.
Which has the bigger context window, Nova Micro 1.0 or Sonar?
Nova Micro 1.0, with 128K tokens against 127K.
How many benchmarks is the Nova Micro 1.0 vs Sonar comparison based on?
5 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 21, 2026. Nova Micro 1.0's coding index rests on 0 independent benchmarks and Sonar's on 0. Where only one model has a result, the page says so instead of naming a winner.