Consensus
AI-powered search and evidence synthesis for scholarly papers, with citation-linked answers, study snapshots, Consensus Meter and deep literature reviews.
Academic search, cited Pro answers, research filters, Study Snapshots, Consensus Meter and larger Deep synthesis.
Natural-language scholarly discovery and accessible paper cards; rigorous evidence appraisal remains a skilled task.
Official tier quotas and public individual prices are specific, though annual commitment discounts and team quotes require comparison.
Paper source attribution, collection features and documented API/MCP workflows, with verification and governance still needed.
Scored by Vishal Singh
Quick facts
- Vendor
- Consensus (Consensus AI, Inc.)
- Pricing model
- Free $0; Pro $20/month or $144/year ($12/month annual equivalent); Deep $65/month or $540/year ($45/month annual equivalent); Team/Enterprise custom quoted.
- Plan pricing
- Free $0; Pro $12/month equivalent billed annually ($144/year)
- Free plan
- Yes — check limits
- Free trial
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- 11/6/2026
About Consensus
Consensus is an AI-assisted scholarly research search engine built to help researchers, students, clinicians, analysts and evidence-focused teams find, read and compare scientific papers. Users enter a natural-language research question, a technical query, a DOI or a paper title, and the platform retrieves relevant academic literature rather than operating as a general website search engine. The service presents source-linked results, highlights study findings and uses AI to summarize patterns across studies. Its core appeal is faster orientation to a research question while retaining links back to the underlying publications. That does not remove the need to read methods, distinguish study designs, evaluate conflicting evidence or verify that an AI sentence faithfully represents the cited work. Consensus has a genuine Free plan at $0. The official subscription help page lists unlimited basic paper searches, 10 Pro messages per month, three Deep reviews, 10 Study Snapshots and 30 API or MCP calls per month. These allocations matter because an unlimited basic search allowance should not be mistaken for unlimited AI synthesis or long-form evidence review. The Pro plan costs $20 when billed month to month, or $144 annually, which works out to $12 per month with annual prepayment. Pro unlocks unlimited basic searches, Pro messages and Study Snapshots, plus 15 Deep reviews and 500 API/MCP calls per month. AI synthesis is fallible and corpus coverage is incomplete; quota limits, paywalls and study quality require attention, especially for evidence-sensitive decisions.
Best for
Researchers, graduate students, clinical evidence teams, analysts and science communicators who need cited academic paper discovery, research synthesis and repeatable literature-review workflows.
Consensus pros and cons
Pros
- Search focuses on scientific literature and links AI answers to source publications.
- Free unlimited basic paper searches allow ongoing discovery without an initial subscription.
- Pro summaries, study snapshots and Consensus Meter help compare evidence more quickly.
- Deep reviews support longer multi-paper synthesis for heavy research workflows.
- Zotero-style organization and API/MCP options can connect research to other tools.
Cons
- −AI summaries and Consensus Meter still require careful inspection of original study methods and findings.
- −Free caps Pro, Deep, Snapshot and API/MCP usage despite unlimited basic searching.
- −The gap between month-to-month and annual pricing is substantial for Pro and Deep.
- −Paywalled or missing studies and indexing gaps can distort the apparent balance of evidence.
- −Team, Enterprise and some security/administration details require a direct quote.
Features
Platforms
Integrations
Pricing — verified 11/6/2026
What you’ll actually pay
Unlimited basic paper searches; 10 Pro messages, 3 Deep reviews, 10 Study Snapshots and 30 API/MCP calls per month.
Annual plan is $144/year ($12/month equivalent); the same Pro tier is $20/month on monthly billing. Unlimited Pro messages and Study Snapshots, with 15 Deep reviews/month.
Annual plan is $540/year ($45/month equivalent); month-to-month is $65/month. Includes 200 Deep reviews/month and 2,000 API/MCP calls/month.
Quoted pricing for groups up to 200 seats. Vendor documents 50 Deep reviews and 500 API/MCP calls per user per month plus Pro functionality.
Custom quote for larger organizations, including more than 200 users; confirm security, account management and allowable use in the contract.
Official pricing / availability source · Checked 6 November 2026. Confirm current taxes, regional terms and allowances. A listed plan is not necessarily the cheapest option.
Editorial verification: 11/6/2026. Check the vendor's site for current pricing.
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