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On the benchmarks we run, Agent API presets deliver more quality per dollar than Sonar: the preset curve sits above every Sonar model. The lead is widest on hard, multi-step browsing: on BrowseComp, the strongest preset scores nearly three times the best Sonar model.

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What we measured

We evaluated Agent API presets and Sonar models on the same workloads, across two benchmarks:
  • BrowseComp measures agentic browsing on hard questions that require chaining many searches.
  • DSQA (DeepSearchQA) measures answer quality on deep-search questions.
Even the low preset beats Sonar’s best model, Deep Research, on both benchmarks at 1-2% of its per-request cost.
For a benchmark built specifically for research agents that must search both wide and deep, see WANDR.

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Which preset should you use?

Results vary by use case, but every preset lands higher on the quality curve than its Sonar counterpart — and in the deep-research tier, for less. Use the mapping below as a starting point, then confirm against your own traffic.
For state-of-the-art deep research, use the xhigh preset — the highest quality in the lineup, leading across the benchmarks we run.

Explore the presets

See what each preset configures and how to override individual settings.

Migrate your integration

Follow the field-by-field procedure to move a Sonar integration to the Agent API.