Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Sonar
Sonar leads Hermes 3 70B Instruct on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, 7.7 to 6.7, and Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs 1.4x less per output token ($0.70 vs $1.00 per million). Updated October 22, 2026; 5 benchmarks have a result for both.
Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Sonar: which to pick
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding.
Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 1.4x cheaper ($0.70 vs $1.00 per million) and a larger context window (131K against 127K tokens).
- Shared results
- 5
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct only
- 0
- Sonar only
- 0
- Like-for-like categories
- 4 of 9
Only benchmarks that tested both models count toward a pick; a result only one model has is shown but not compared.
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 6.7.
Same board, both measured
Long documents
Listed context window
Hermes 3 70B Instruct
Hermes 3 70B Instruct takes 131K tokens against 127K.
Listed by OpenRouter
Everyday cost
1K input + 500 output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct
Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.0010, Sonar $0.0015 per turn.
List prices
At a glance
- Coding index
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct not benchmarked, Sonar not benchmarked.
- Widest category
- Knowledge, 11.8 points apart on average over 1 shared benchmark.
- Widest single gap
- MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run): Hermes 3 70B Instruct 57.1% against Sonar 68.9%, 11.8 points apart on a 0 to 100 scale.
- Output price
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct $0.70 against Sonar $1.00 per million output tokens, 1.4x apart.
- Context window
- Hermes 3 70B Instruct takes 131K 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 | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | 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 | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| LiveCodeBench (Artificial Analysis run) | 18.8% | 29.5% | Sonar |
| Neither model has a result on the other 38 boards here | |||
IntelligenceLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA Intelligence Index | 6.7 | 7.7 | Sonar |
| Neither model has a result on the other 1 board here | |||
Agentic workNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 41 boards here | |||
ReasoningLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index02
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond (Artificial Analysis run) | 40.1% | 47.1% | Sonar |
| Humanity's Last Exam (Artificial Analysis run) | 4.0% | 4.9% | Sonar |
| Neither model has a result on the other 20 boards here | |||
MathNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 13 boards here | |||
KnowledgeLike-for-likePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index01
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| MMLU Pro (Artificial Analysis run) | 57.1% | 68.9% | Sonar |
| Neither model has a result on the other 17 boards here | |||
Web designNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 9 boards here | |||
GeneralNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Sonar | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither model has a result on 46 boards here | |||
Image generationNot comparablePublic boards, shown as published, kept out of the index0 boards, none shared
| Benchmark | Hermes 3 70B Instruct | 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
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs less
Repository review
50K input + 3K output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs less
Agent loop
200K input + 10K output tokens
Hermes 3 70B Instruct 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 | Nous Hermes 3 70B Instruct | Perplexity Sonar |
|---|---|---|
| Maker | Nous Research | Perplexity |
| Weights | Open weights | No public weights listed |
| Released | August 18, 2024 | January 27, 2025 |
| Context window | 131K | 127K |
| Input $/Mtok | $0.70 | $1.00 |
| Output $/Mtok | $0.70 | $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 Hermes 3 70B Instruct better than Sonar for coding?
Neither model has a coding score yet, so the two cannot be ranked on coding. Pick Hermes 3 70B Instruct for output tokens 1.4x cheaper ($0.70 vs $1.00 per million) and a larger context window (131K against 127K tokens).
Which is cheaper, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Sonar?
Hermes 3 70B Instruct costs $0.70 per million input tokens and $0.70 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, Hermes 3 70B Instruct or Sonar?
Hermes 3 70B Instruct, with 131K tokens against 127K.
How many benchmarks is the Hermes 3 70B Instruct vs Sonar comparison based on?
5 benchmarks have a result for both models as of October 22, 2026. Hermes 3 70B Instruct'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.