> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.perplexity.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rate Limits & Usage Tiers

## What are Usage Tiers?

Usage tiers determine your **rate limits** and access to **beta features** based on your cumulative API spending. As you spend more on API credits over time, you automatically advance to higher tiers with increased rate limits. Higher tiers unlock significantly more requests per minute, and once you reach a tier, you keep it permanently with no downgrade.

<Info>
  You can check your current usage tier by visiting the [API Platform console](https://console.perplexity.ai).
</Info>

***

## Tier Progression

| Tier       | Total Credits Purchased | Status                       |
| ---------- | ----------------------- | ---------------------------- |
| **Tier 0** | \$0                     | New accounts, limited access |
| **Tier 1** | \$50+                   | Light usage, basic limits    |
| **Tier 2** | \$250+                  | Regular usage                |
| **Tier 3** | \$500+                  | Heavy usage                  |
| **Tier 4** | \$1,000+                | Production usage             |
| **Tier 5** | \$5,000+                | Enterprise usage             |

<Note>
  Tiers are based on **cumulative purchases** across your account lifetime, not current balance.
</Note>

***

## Agent API Rate Limits

The Agent API uses tier-based rate limits that scale with your usage tier:

|    Tier    | QPS (Queries per Second) | Requests per Minute |
| :--------: | :----------------------: | :-----------------: |
| **Tier 0** |           1 QPS          |        50/min       |
| **Tier 1** |           3 QPS          |       150/min       |
| **Tier 2** |           8 QPS          |       500/min       |
| **Tier 3** |          17 QPS          |      1,000/min      |
| **Tier 4** |          33 QPS          |      2,000/min      |
| **Tier 5** |          33 QPS          |      2,000/min      |

***

## Search API Rate Limits

The Search API has separate rate limits that apply to all usage tiers:

| Endpoint       | Rate Limit             | Burst Capacity |
| -------------- | ---------------------- | -------------- |
| POST `/search` | 50 requests per second | 50 requests    |

**Search Rate Limiter Behavior:**

* **Burst**: Can handle 50 requests instantly
* **Sustained**: Exactly 50 QPS average over time

<Note>
  Search rate limits are independent of your usage tier and apply consistently across all accounts using the same leaky bucket algorithm.
</Note>

***

## Sonar API Rate Limits

The Sonar API uses tier-based rate limits that scale with your usage tier:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Tier 0">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 5                         |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 50                        |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 50                        |
    | `sonar`                            | 50                        |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 5                         |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 1">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 10                        |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 150                       |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 150                       |
    | `sonar`                            | 150                       |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 10                        |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 2">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 20                        |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 500                       |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 500                       |
    | `sonar`                            | 500                       |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 20                        |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 3">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 40                        |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 1,000                     |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 1,000                     |
    | `sonar`                            | 1,000                     |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 40                        |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 4">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 60                        |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 4,000                     |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 4,000                     |
    | `sonar`                            | 4,000                     |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 60                        |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Tier 5">
    | Model                              | Requests per minute (RPM) |
    | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
    | `sonar-deep-research`              | 100                       |
    | `sonar-reasoning-pro`              | 4,000                     |
    | `sonar-pro`                        | 4,000                     |
    | `sonar`                            | 4,000                     |
    | POST `/v1/async/sonar`             | 100                       |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar`              | 3000                      |
    | GET `/v1/async/sonar/{request_id}` | 6000                      |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

***

## Embeddings API Rate Limits

The Embeddings API uses tier-based rate limits that scale with your usage tier. Limits are higher than other APIs because each request is a single forward pass on an elastic backend.

|      Tier     | QPS (Queries per Second) |
| :-----------: | :----------------------: |
|   **Tier 0**  |          85 QPS          |
| **Tiers 1–3** |          170 QPS         |
| **Tiers 4–5** |          335 QPS         |

### Contextualized Embeddings

Contextualized embeddings have separate, higher limits (5× the standard embeddings tiers):

|      Tier     | QPS (Queries per Second) |
| :-----------: | :----------------------: |
|   **Tier 0**  |          415 QPS         |
| **Tiers 1–3** |          835 QPS         |
| **Tiers 4–5** |         1,670 QPS        |

<Note>
  Contextualized embeddings are rate limited by **total chunks**, not by request count.
</Note>

***

## How Rate Limiting Works

Our rate limiting system uses a **leaky bucket algorithm** that allows for burst traffic while maintaining strict long-term rate control.

### Technical Implementation

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Leaky Bucket Algorithm Explained">
    The leaky bucket algorithm works like a bucket with a small hole in the bottom:

    * **Bucket Capacity**: Maximum number of requests you can make instantly (burst capacity)
    * **Leak Rate**: How quickly tokens leak out of the bucket (your rate limit)
    * **Token Refill**: Tokens refill continuously at regular intervals based on your rate limit

    This design allows legitimate burst traffic when you need it, prevents sustained abuse, and ensures predictable and fair rate enforcement across all users.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Rate Limiter Behavior Example">
    Let's examine how **50 requests per second** works in practice. With a capacity of 50 tokens and a leak rate of 50 tokens per second, one token refills every 20ms.

    **Scenario 1: Burst Traffic**

    ```
    Time 0.0s: Bucket full (50 tokens)
    → Send 50 requests instantly → ALL ALLOWED
    → Send 51st request → REJECTED (bucket empty)

    Time 0.020s: 1 token refilled
    → Send 1 request → ALLOWED
    → Send 2nd request → REJECTED

    Time 0.040s: 1 more token refilled
    → Send 1 request → ALLOWED
    ```

    **Scenario 2: Steady 50 QPS**

    ```
    Request every 20ms:
    Time 0.0s: Request → ALLOWED (50→49 tokens)
    Time 0.020s: Request → ALLOWED (49+1-1=49 tokens)
    Time 0.040s: Request → ALLOWED (49+1-1=49 tokens)
    ... maintains 49-50 tokens, all requests pass
    ```

    **Scenario 3: Slightly Over 50 QPS**

    ```
    Request every 19ms (≈52.6 QPS):
    → Eventually tokens deplete faster than refill
    → Some requests start getting rejected
    → Achieves exactly 50 QPS on average
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Real-World Implications">
    The leaky bucket design means you can handle your full rate limit instantly, making it perfect for batch operations or sudden traffic spikes. There's no need to artificially spread requests when you have available burst capacity.

    The system enforces strict average rate limits over time while allowing quick recovery after burst usage. This provides consistent performance across different usage patterns and prevents sustained over-limit usage while maintaining fair resource allocation.

    When building your application, take advantage of burst capacity for batch operations, monitor your usage patterns to optimize request timing, and implement proper error handling for 429 responses.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## What Happens When You Hit Rate Limits?

When you exceed your rate limits:

1. **429 Error** - Your request gets rejected with "Too Many Requests"
2. **Continuous Refill** - Tokens refill continuously based on your rate limit
3. **Immediate Recovery** - New requests become available as soon as tokens refill

**Example Recovery Times:**

* **50 QPS limit**: 1 token refills every 20ms
* **500 QPS limit**: 1 token refills every 2ms
* **1,000 QPS limit**: 1 token refills every 1ms

<Tip>
  **Best Practices:**

  * Monitor your usage to predict when you'll need higher tiers
  * Consider upgrading your tier proactively for production applications
  * Implement exponential backoff with jitter in your code
  * Take advantage of burst capacity for batch operations
  * Don't artificially spread requests if you have available burst capacity
</Tip>

***

## Upgrading Your Tier

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check Current Tier">
    Visit the [API Platform console](https://console.perplexity.ai) to see your current tier and total spending.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Purchase More Credits">
    Add credits to your account through the billing section. Your tier will automatically upgrade once you reach the spending threshold.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Upgrade">
    Your new rate limits take effect immediately after the tier upgrade. Check your settings page to confirm.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Need Even Higher Limits?">
    If you require custom rate limits beyond Tier 5, [fill out our rate limit increase request form](https://perplexity.typeform.com/to/yctmfyVT) and we'll review your use case to accommodate your needs.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Check>
  Higher tiers significantly improve your API experience with increased rate limits, especially important for production applications.
</Check>

<Card title="Need Higher Rate Limits?" icon="file-pencil" iconType="solid" href="https://perplexity.typeform.com/to/yctmfyVT">
  Need custom rate limits beyond your current tier? Fill out our rate limit increase request form and we'll review your use case to accommodate your needs.
</Card>