Seed 2.0 Lite vs Sonar Deep Research
At a Glance
| Compare | Seed 2.0 LiteByteDance Seed |  Sonar Deep ResearchPerplexity |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and Limits | ||
| Input priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $0.25Openrouter ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $2.00Openrouter ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 |
| Output priceFrom · USD / 1M tokens | $2.00Openrouter ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 | $8.00Openrouter ↗ · Sep 22, 2026 |
| Context windowMaximum documented tokens | Not reported | 128K |
| Model facts checked | Sep 3, 2026View model evidence → | Aug 29, 2026View model evidence → |
Token prices are the lowest available sourced USD rates; input and output may use different providers. Cost ranking estimates output spend on LiveBench, not a full request bill. Ranking methodology →
Available Benchmarks
Side-by-Side Facts
| Field | Seed 2.0 Lite | Sonar Deep Research |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | ByteDance Seed | Perplexity |
| Family | Seed 2 0 | Sonar |
| Model | Seed 2.0 Lite | Sonar Deep Research |
| Version | Seed 2.0 Lite | Sonar Deep Research |
| Lifecycle | active | active |
| Released | 2026-02-14 | Unknown |
| Knowledge cutoff | Unknown | Unknown |
| Input modalities | Text, Image, Video, Audio | Text |
| Output modalities | Text | Text |
| Context window | Unknown | 128K |
| Total parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| Active parameters | Unknown | Unknown |
| License | Unknown | Unknown |
| Open weights | No | No |
| API available | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Provider access | Openrouter (Standard) | Openrouter (Standard), Perplexity (Standard) |
| Capabilities | agents, chat, generation, reasoning, structured_outputs, tools | chat, citations, reasoning, research, search |
Seed 2.0 Lite Capabilities
Sonar Deep Research Capabilities
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Primary Evidence
Sources and Freshness
Questions
Seed 2.0 Lite vs Sonar Deep Research FAQs
Is Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research better for coding?+
This comparison does not currently contain a protocol-matched coding benchmark for both Seed 2.0 Lite and Sonar Deep Research, so Model Markets cannot name a coding leader from pricing, context size, or capability labels alone.
Which is cheaper, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
Seed 2.0 Lite is $0.25 and Sonar Deep Research is $2.00 per million tokens, so Seed 2.0 Lite is cheaper on this metric. Seed 2.0 Lite is $2.00 and Sonar Deep Research is $8.00 per million tokens, so Seed 2.0 Lite is cheaper on this metric.
Which has a larger context window, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
Neither model has a larger sourced context window in this comparison. Seed 2.0 Lite is — and Sonar Deep Research is 128K.
Which performs better in benchmarks, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
There is no overall benchmark winner: At least two independently verified, protocol-matched benchmarks are required for an overall winner.
Can Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research be self-hosted?+
Both models have the same recorded self-hosting status: unsupported. Seed 2.0 Lite is not marked open weight; Sonar Deep Research is not marked open weight.
Can Seed 2.0 Lite and Sonar Deep Research understand images?+
Seed 2.0 Lite is documented with image input; Sonar Deep Research is not documented with image input. This reflects supported input modalities, not vision quality.
Which can generate longer answers, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
Neither has a larger sourced maximum output. Seed 2.0 Lite is — and Sonar Deep Research is —.
Do Seed 2.0 Lite and Sonar Deep Research support reasoning and tool use?+
Seed 2.0 Lite: reasoning, tool calling, and image input. Sonar Deep Research: reasoning. Feature support does not establish relative quality.
Which is available from more inference providers, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
Seed 2.0 Lite has 1 sourced provider route; Sonar Deep Research has 2, so Sonar Deep Research has broader tracked availability.
Which offers better value, Seed 2.0 Lite or Sonar Deep Research?+
There is no universal value winner. Compare the input and output prices above with the matched benchmark result for your workload: cheaper tokens can be offset by different quality, token usage, latency, or provider availability.