Perplexity AI Search API Guide 2026: Build a Research Assistant in 20 Minutes

You want live web answers inside your own app. The Perplexity API returns cited, real-time answers - here is how to use it.

## Perplexity AI Search API Guide 2026: Build a Research Assistant in 20 Minutes The Perplexity API is the easiest way to add live web search to an app. Unlike a plain LLM API, it runs a real web search before answering and returns citations. By August 2026 the API supports the sonar and sonar-pro models, with sonar-deep-research in beta for multi-step research. ## What You Get - Real-time web answers with cited sources - Token usage comparable to a normal LLM call - A Python SDK and REST endpoint - Usage-based pricing with a free tier for new accounts ## Step 1: Get a Key Sign up at perplexity.ai, go to Settings > API, and create a key. As of mid-2026, new accounts get $5 in free credits - roughly 2,000 sonar queries. ## Step 2: The Minimal Call ```python from openai import OpenAI client = OpenAI(api_key="pplx-...", base_url="https://api.perplexity.ai") response = client.chat.completions.create( model="sonar", messages=[ {"role": "system", "content": "Answer concisely with citations."}, {"role": "user", "content": "What are the latest specs of the Raspberry Pi 5?"} ], ) print(response.choices[0].message.content) ``` The response includes a citations field with URLs. That is the whole trick - your app now answers with live sources. ## Step 3: Force Fresh Search Set "search_recency_filter": "week" in the extra body to force a recent search window. Default is month. ## Step 4: Handle Citations ```python for c in response.citations: print(c.url) ``` Store the URLs and render them as links - users trust answers they can verify. ## Cost Reality Check (August 2026) | Model | Input | Output | Notes | |-------|-------|--------|-------| | sonar | $1/M tokens | $1/M tokens | Fast, basic search | | sonar-pro | $3/M tokens | $15/M tokens | Stronger reasoning | | sonar-deep-research | $5/call | - | Multi-step research (beta) | ## FAQ **Is the Perplexity API free?** There is a $5 trial credit; after that it is usage-based. **Can I use it without the OpenAI SDK?** Yes, the REST endpoint is https://api.perplexity.ai/chat/completions with the same body format. **How is it different from the ChatGPT API?** Perplexity performs live web search before answering; a plain LLM API only uses its training data.