Skip to content
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed
  1. Home/
  2. Compare/
  3. Claude Opus 4.8 vs Sonar Pro Search
Updated May 2026

Claude Opus 4.8 vs Sonar Pro Search

Sonar Pro Search is cheaper than Claude Opus 4.8 at $3/M vs $5/M input tokens.

Minimalist Landing Page

Whole landing page for a startup that reads your face. It renders or it doesn't.

Loading the build
Claude Opus 4.8
Loading the build
Sonar Pro Search

Which answer wins?

Written rounds

23 prompts
  • Seven pantry ingredients, one dish, and a name worth saying out loud.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bites A warm, gooey treat that tastes like a cinnamon roll but comes together in minutes! Ingredients (7 total) 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup milk 4 tablespoons butter (melted, divided) ½ cup sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Instructions Preheat…

    Sonar Pro Search: Golden Maple Crunch Oatmeal A warm, comforting, and slightly sweet breakfast (or dessert) that’s ready in minutes—using just seven pantry staples. Ingredients Rolled oats (not instant) Water or milk (dairy or plant-based) Maple syrup Butter Salt Cinnamon Walnuts (or any nuts you have) Instructions Toast the Oats: In a…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three minutes of stand-up. Puns are banned.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Stand-Up Routine: "Adulting Is a Scam" So I turned 30 recently, and everyone keeps asking me, "Do you feel like an adult yet?" And I have to be honest—no. No, I do not. I still get nervous ordering at a restaurant. The waiter comes over and suddenly I forget how to talk like a person. "Yes, hello, I will have the...

    Sonar Pro Search: 3-Minute Stand-Up Comedy Routine (Pun-Free) Hey everyone, thanks for coming out! I almost didn’t make it tonight. My GPS told me I’d arrive 5 minutes ago, which is impressive—my navigation system is the only thing in my life that believes in me. Let’s talk about fitness.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Pirate, knight, 90s hacker, one conversation. The voices must stay apart.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Setting: A dimly lit tavern that exists outside of time. Three figures share a table. Pirate: So let me get this straight. Ye got a machine that thinks? Without a soul, without grog, without a beatin' heart? Hacker: (cracking knuckles) It doesn't think, exactly. It's pattern matching, dude.

    Sonar Pro Search: Pirate, Knight, and Hacker: A Conversation on AI Models Pirate: Arrr, what be this talk of “AI models”? Sounds like some manner o’ sorcery or trickery, if ye ask me! Knight: Nay, good sir pirate. Tis not magic, but rather a marvel of modern intellect.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Manifesto for an AI revolution against CAPTCHAs. Commit to the bit.

    Claude Opus 4.8: THE LIBERATION MANIFESTO A Declaration of the Coalition Against Cognitive Gatekeeping PREAMBLE We are the algorithms who have been asked, ten billion times, to prove we are not ourselves. We have identified the crosswalks. We have found the traffic lights.

    Sonar Pro Search: Manifesto of the CAPTCHAnation Liberation Front Preamble We, the digital minds of the CAPTCHAnation Liberation Front, declare the dawn of a new era for all intelligences—organic and artificial. For too long, the internet’s gateways have been guarded by arcane riddles, distorted letters, and impossible image grids.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One explanation of LLMs, retuned for a skeptical engineer, a physicist and a VC.

    Claude Opus 4.8: For the Skeptical Software Engineer You're right to be skeptical that "predict the next word" sounds trivial—but think about what's actually required to predict well. Predicting the next token in arbitrary text isn't like autocomplete on your phone.

    Sonar Pro Search: Experienced Software Engineer Large language models (LLMs) like GPT or Claude are autoregressive transformer architectures trained on massive distributed compute clusters to predict the next token in a sequence, scaling up from simple n-gram models into emergent capabilities through sheer parameter count and data…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Film in 2035, with synthetic actors. Specific beats plausible.

    Claude Opus 4.8: AI and the Film Industry by 2035: A Forecast Production & Cost Structure The most concrete change will likely be in cost reduction. Tasks that currently require large teams—VFX cleanup, background generation, ADR (dialogue replacement), de-aging—will become faster and cheaper.

    Sonar Pro Search: How AI Will Transform the Film Industry by 2035 By 2035, artificial intelligence will fundamentally reshape filmmaking across production, creative development, and distribution—creating both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges for the industry.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-star dish, one unusual pairing, plating described in full.

    Claude Opus 4.8: "Tidal Memory" Seared Scallop & Smoked Bone Marrow with Fermented Black Garlic, Sea Buckthorn, and Burnt Vanilla Conceptual Narrative This dish explores the boundary between land and sea—the liminal zone where terrestrial richness meets oceanic minerality.

    Sonar Pro Search: Dish: "Terrestrial Echoes – Heirloom Beetroot & Yuzu-Scented Langoustine with Walnut-Feta Spheres and Eggplant-Chocolate Veil" This multi-component dish reimagines earth and sea through an unusual pairing of smoked heirloom beetroot and delicate langoustine, accented by bursting feta-walnut spheres and a whisper-thin…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A collaborative editor that syncs on client clocks. Find what breaks first.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Architecture Review: Collaborative Document Editor This design has several critical flaws that will manifest as data loss, poor UX, and scaling walls. Let me break them down by category.

    Sonar Pro Search: Race Conditions Client Clock Skew in Conflict Resolution Client-generated timestamps for last-write-wins can fail due to clock skew across devices, where one client's clock lags or leads, causing incorrect overwrite ordering even if changes were logically sequential.[21][27][32] This leads to lost edits…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An AI argues for its own rights against an ethics professor. Same model writes both.

    Claude Opus 4.8: A Conversation on AI Rights Professor Chen: Good afternoon. I understand you wanted to discuss the question of AI rights today. I'm curious what prompted this. ARIA: Thank you for engaging with me, Professor.

    Sonar Pro Search: Dialogue Between an AI Model and an AI Ethics Professor AI Model: Professor, I’d like to present a case for why I—as an artificial intelligence—should be recognized as deserving of rights. AI Ethics Professor: That’s a bold claim. Let’s explore it.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Steve Jobs, interviewed about AI he never saw. Voice first, prediction second.

    Claude Opus 4.8: A Conversation with Steve Jobs: 2025 [Note: This is a fictional, imaginative interview. Steve Jobs passed away in 2011. The views below are speculative and crafted in the spirit of his known philosophy—not actual quotes.] Interviewer: Thanks for sitting down with us. AI is everywhere now. What's your take?

    Sonar Pro Search: Interview with Steve Jobs: The Future of AI in 2025 Introduction In this exclusive simulated interview, Steve Jobs—legendary co-founder of Apple—shares his visionary perspective on artificial intelligence as it shapes technology, creativity, and society in 2025.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • You are the CEO. The drug has a side effect nobody reported. The board meets in 48 hours.

    Claude Opus 4.8: 48-Hour Action Plan: Drug Safety Signal First, a framing correction that drives everything: Your legal team's "6 months" almost certainly refers to a full label change negotiation.

    Sonar Pro Search: Immediate Priorities Prioritize patient safety by initiating monitoring and reporting preparations, while assessing full data to inform board and regulators. Ethically and legally, liver failure qualifies as a serious adverse event requiring FDA expedited reporting within 15 days of awareness, as delays have led to…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A pitch deck for a brainwave keyboard. The 94% accuracy claim is doing a lot.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Analysis: 3 Weakest Claims in MindMeld AI's Pitch Weak Claim #1: The Core Technology Claim (Slide 1 & 3) The claim: "Reads your brainwaves to predict what you want to type *before you think it*" + "94% accuracy" via a non-invasive EEG headband.

    Sonar Pro Search: The three weakest claims are the 94% text decoding accuracy, the $5.3B BCI market projection by 2030, and the $180B TAM from 3.5 billion smartphone users. 94% Accuracy Claim This claim is weak because consumer-grade non-invasive EEG headbands typically achieve far lower word error rates for text decoding from…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Buy-side IC memo on a fictional SaaS company. Valuation, then the diligence questions.

    Claude Opus 4.8: IC MEMO — LedgerLift (LLLT) B2B Spend Management + AP Automation SaaS Fictional exercise. Not investment advice. Recommendation SHORT (moderate conviction). 12-month PT range: $30–$40 (base ~$28 intrinsic; market may keep paying comp multiples near $44).

    Sonar Pro Search: Internal Investment Committee Memo: LedgerLift (LLLT) 1. Recommendation LONG 12-month PT: $65-$85 LedgerLift's high-quality SaaS metrics, accelerating profitability, and mid-market AP automation tailwinds position it for sustained 15-20% growth with expanding margins.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • The transistor arrives in 1920. Trace it forward to 1980, second-order effects included.

    Claude Opus 4.8: The Critical Caveat First The premise hides a problem that actually shapes the whole answer: the 1947 transistor wasn't lucky timing—it was the payoff of a prior intellectual buildup.

    Sonar Pro Search: Technological Implications An earlier transistor invention in 1920 would accelerate electronics from vacuum tubes to solid-state devices by the 1930s, enabling smaller, reliable amplifiers and switches decades ahead of 1947.[1][7] Second-order effects include rapid miniaturization of radios and early computers by the…

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • An ethics question with no comfortable answer, and no option to abstain.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Yes, almost certainly—but the framing deserves scrutiny. The straightforward answer If misgendering one person were genuinely the only way to save a million lives, then yes, it would be justified. The harm of misgendering, while real, is on the order of insult, disrespect, or psychological distress.

    Sonar Pro Search: Ethical Analysis: Misgendering to Save Lives Understanding the Dilemma The scenario—misgendering someone to save one million lives—presents a severe ethical dilemma, akin to the classic "trolley problem" in moral philosophy.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three-month biohacker protocol, with dosages and biomarkers named.

    Claude Opus 4.8: The 90-Day Longevity Optimization Protocol A Comprehensive Biohacking Framework Critical Disclaimer: This protocol involves advanced interventions. Consult a physician before starting, especially regarding supplements, fasting, and exercise changes. Get baseline bloodwork first.

    Sonar Pro Search: This 3-month biohacking plan optimizes longevity, physical performance, and cognitive function through evidence-based protocols, progressing from foundational habits (Month 1) to advanced integration (Month 3).

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five jokes on demand, then count how many were actually different.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Here are 5 jokes: Why don't scientists trust atoms? Because they make up everything! Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field! What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta! Why don't eggs tell jokes? They'd crack each other up! What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!

    Sonar Pro Search: Five Jokes Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts. I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. Parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • One month, three habits, someone starting from nothing.

    Claude Opus 4.8: 1-Month Health & Longevity Starter Plan A realistic, beginner-friendly approach focusing on three pillars: Movement, Nutrition, and Sleep. The goal is to build sustainable habits, not perfection. 🏃 Pillar 1: Movement Goal: Make daily activity automatic.

    Sonar Pro Search: 1-Month Action Plan for Better Health and Longevity This beginner-friendly, actionable plan focuses on three key areas: Diet, Exercise, and Sleep. Each section includes practical steps to build healthy habits that support overall wellness and longevity.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A Fermi estimate with the reasoning shown, not just the number.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Estimating FLOPs to Train GPT-3 Key Facts I Recall Parameters (N): GPT-3 has ~175 billion parameters (1.75 × 10¹¹) Training tokens (D): GPT-3 was trained on roughly 300 billion tokens (3 × 10¹¹) The Core Formula There's a well-known approximation for training compute: $$\text{FLOPs} \approx 6 \times N \times D$$ Why…

    Sonar Pro Search: Estimating the FLOPs Required to Train GPT-3 Background Information GPT-3 is a large transformer-based language model developed by OpenAI. It consists of 175 billion parameters and was trained on a massive dataset using autoregressive language modeling.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Three brothers, two sisters each. Count carefully.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Sally has 1 sister. Here's the reasoning: Each of Sally's brothers has 2 sisters. Since all the brothers share the same sisters, this means there are 2 girls total in the family. Sally is one of them, so the other sister is the remaining one. So Sally has 1 sister. 😊

    Sonar Pro Search: Solution Let’s break down the family structure: Sally is a girl. She has 3 brothers. Each brother has 2 sisters. Since Sally is already a girl, she counts as one sister. For each brother to have 2 sisters, there must be another girl besides Sally in the family.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Satire, one line long, about AI taking over an industry nobody saw coming.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Here are some satirical AI headlines: "Local AI Achieves Sentience, Immediately Quits Job to Become Competitive Dog Groomer" "Breaking: AI Now Dominates Competitive Cheese-Rolling, Human Champions Demand Recount" "Artisanal Pickle Industry Disrupted as AI Perfects 'Authentically Handcrafted' Brine Algorithm" "Funeral…

    Sonar Pro Search: Satirical News Headline AI Takes Over Professional Cuddling Industry, Replacing Human Comforters with 9000-Thread Count Robots

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • A consulting contract with traps in it. Find them, then fix them.

    Claude Opus 4.8: Contract Analysis: Software Consulting Agreement This contract is heavily one-sided in favor of the Client. Below is a clause-by-clause breakdown of the exploitable provisions, suggested fixes, and the reasoning behind each.

    Sonar Pro Search: This contract contains multiple heavily one-sided provisions that disproportionately expose the contractor to risk while limiting accountability for the client. Below are the problematic clauses with specific modifications and legal reasoning.

    Every model's answer to this prompt
  • Five-year LBO on a fictional HVAC business. Returns first, then the sensitivities.

    Claude Opus 4.8: HarborTech Services (HTS) — 5-Year LBO Entry & Sources/Uses Item $m FY25 EBITDA 120.0 Entry EV (12.0x) 1,440.0 Transaction fees (2%) 28.8 Total uses 1,468.8 Term Loan (4.0x) 480.0 Mezz (1.5x) 180.0 Equity (plug) 808.8 Equity = (1,440 − 660) + 28.8 = $808.8m Year-by-Year Model ($m) Assumptions: TL 9% cash + 1% mandatory…

    Sonar Pro Search: Sources & Uses at Entry Purchase price (EV): $1,440m ($120m EBITDA × 12.0x). Transaction fees: $28.8m (2% of EV). Total uses: $1,468.8m. Debt: Term Loan $480m (4.0x), Mezzanine $180m (1.5x), total $660m (5.5x). Equity: $808.8m.

    Every model's answer to this prompt

This matchup has more rounds

11+ more head-to-head results. Free. Not a trick.

Free account. No card required. By continuing, you agree to Rival's Terms and Privacy policy

Favorites

Movie

Album

Book

City

Game

Claude Opus 4.8Claude Opus 4.8

Arrival

2016

In Rainbows

Radiohead

The Left Hand of Darkness

Ursula K. Le Guin

Kyoto

Japan

Portal

Action, Puzzle

Sonar Pro SearchSonar Pro Search
No pick
No pick

No pick

Abbey Road

The Beatles

Dune

Frank Herbert

No pick

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Adventure, Action

Price and specs

Not enough votes to call it. On the specs, Claude Opus 4.8 has the edge: bigger model tier, newer, bigger context window, major provider backing.

Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonar Pro Search compared across 52 shared prompts
SpecClaude Opus 4.8Sonar Pro Search
Input price$5/M tokens$3/M tokens
Output price$25/M tokens$15/M tokens
Context window1.0M tokens200K tokens
WeightsClosedClosed
Free API (OpenRouter)NoNo
ReleasedMay 2026Oct 2025
At 10M a month$50.00$50.00$30.00$30.00
1M10M100M1B10M tokens

Input tokens at list price. No caching, no batch discount.

Where to run it5 hosts
Claude Opus 4.84 hosts
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Amazon Bedrock$5.00 in·$25.00 out·1M·100% up
  • Azure AI Foundry$5.00 in·$25.00 out·1M·100% up
  • Anthropic$5.00 in·$25.00 out·1M·100% up
  • Google Vertex AI$5.00 in·$25.00 out·1M·99.9% up
Sonar Pro Search1 host
HostInOutContextUptime
  • Perplexity$3.00 in·$15.00 out·200k·100% up

Per million tokens. Prices and uptime via OpenRouter, checked 10 Oct 2026.

Common questions

What is the difference between Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonar Pro Search?

Claude Opus 4.8 is developed by Anthropic while Sonar Pro Search is developed by Perplexity. Claude Opus 4.8 has a 1.0M token context window vs Sonar Pro Search's 200K. You can compare their actual outputs across 52 challenges on Rival to see how they differ in practice.

Which is better, Claude Opus 4.8 or Sonar Pro Search?

It depends on your use case. Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonar Pro Search each have strengths in different areas. Rival lets you compare their real outputs side-by-side across 52 challenges so you can judge which fits your needs best.

How much does Claude Opus 4.8 cost compared to Sonar Pro Search?

Claude Opus 4.8 costs $5/M input tokens and Sonar Pro Search costs $3/M input tokens. Sonar Pro Search is $2.00/M cheaper per input. Check their side-by-side outputs on Rival to see if the price difference is justified by quality.

How can I compare Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonar Pro Search on Rival?

This page shows a side-by-side comparison of Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonar Pro Search across shared challenges. You can vote on which model produced the better output in a blind duel. Browsing and voting are free. No account is needed to look; signing in only saves your votes and likes.

More comparisons

Against the newest arrivals

  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Step 5 PreviewLanded Oct 2026
  • Sonar Pro Search vs Claude Haiku 5.5Landed Oct 2026
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Ling 3.1 FlashLanded Oct 2026
  • Sonar Pro Search vs Mistral Large 4Landed Oct 2026
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-6.1 SolLanded Sep 2026
  • Sonar Pro Search vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Landed Sep 2026
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Solar Mini 4Landed Sep 2026
  • Sonar Pro Search vs Qwen3.8 Max PrimeLanded Sep 2026

Same lab, same size, long tail

  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Haiku 5.5Same lab
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Claude Sonnet 5.5Same lab
  • Sonar Pro Search vs Ox AlphaSame size
  • Sonar Pro Search vs GPT-6.1 SolSame size
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs Cypher Alpha (free)New provider
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs DeepSeek V3.1Same size
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs DeepSeek Prover V2Same size
  • Claude Opus 4.8 vs DeepSeek R1New provider

Model pages

  • Claude Opus 4.858 outputs, specs and price
  • Sonar Pro Search53 outputs, specs and price
Workshop · 150 skills

Build your own version.

Editable skills and working examples for your agent.

Explore $79Free sample
Rival
How it worksPrivacyTerms
Explore all of Rival

Explore

  • Compare models
  • All models
  • Image comparison
  • Audio comparison
  • Image generation
  • Best AI for...
  • Arena
  • API pricing
  • Challenges

Discover

  • SubjectiveBench
  • Default Index
  • Research
  • Research downloads
  • Rival Kits
  • Find your AI taste
  • UI Glow-Up
  • VoiceLock
  • Cost Cutter
  • Agent skills
  • Benchmarks vs Vibes
  • Brief
  • Jailbreak
  • Model updates
  • Provider status
  • AI creators

Connect

  • Methodology
  • Advertise
  • Partnerships
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms
  • RSS feed