AI academic search
Consensus pricing and free plan (2026)
An AI search engine over peer-reviewed papers that returns synthesized answers with links to the studies behind them.
Quick verdict
- Best for
- Quickly seeing what published studies say about a focused yes/no or "does X affect Y" question.
- Skip if
- You need a systematic review workflow with screening and data extraction tables. The literature review guide lists tools that describe those features.
- Price from
- From $20/mo (Pro) billed monthly; from $12/mo (Pro) billed annually. USD per month; see the pricing table below.
- Free plan limits
- Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages per month; up to 3 Deep reviews per month.
- Last checked
- 5 October 2026
Best for
- Quickly seeing what published studies say about a focused yes/no or "does X affect Y" question.
- Researchers who want answers linked to papers and a snapshot of each study's key findings.
Not a fit if
- You need a systematic review workflow with screening and data extraction tables. The literature review guide lists tools that describe those features.
- You want to search your own PDFs. Consensus describes a search over its academic corpus, with an option to chat with a paper.
- You need unlimited deep, multi-paper reviews on a small budget. The Free plan allows up to 3 Deep reviews per month and Pro allows 15.
Consensus describes itself as an AI academic search engine for peer-reviewed literature. You ask a question; it returns an AI-written answer built from papers, with links to the sources. The homepage also lists a Consensus Meter for yes/no questions, Pro and Deep Search modes, study snapshots with key findings and methodology, an “Ask Paper” chat, collections and a citation graph.
It is a search-and-summarise tool. It does not replace reading the papers, and it is not designed around the screening and extraction steps of a formal systematic review. For a comparison with other tools, read the literature review guide, and for what each Free plan includes, the free plans comparison.
Consensus prices differ a lot depending on whether you pay monthly or annually: Pro is $20 per month billed monthly and $12 per month billed annually. Third-party price lists often show one without saying which, so each price here is labelled with its billing method and the date it was read.
Pricing and free plan
| Plan | Price per month | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages per month; up to 3 Deep reviews per month. |
| Pro | $20 | Billed monthly | Unlimited Pro messages; 15 Deep reviews per month; 500 API and MCP calls per month included ($0.05 per call after that, up to a maximum of 1,000). |
| Pro | $12 | Billed annually | $144 per year, which the page says saves $96 per year compared with paying monthly. Same limits as Pro billed monthly. |
| Deep | $65 | Billed monthly | 200 Deep reviews per month; 2,000 API and MCP calls per month. |
| Deep | $45 | Billed annually | $540 per year, which the page says saves $240 per year compared with paying monthly. Same limits as Deep billed monthly. |
What looks good
- Aimed at a clear job: answering research questions from published literature, with each answer tied to papers.
- The homepage lists a Consensus Meter for yes/no questions, study snapshots, citation export (RIS, BibTeX, CSV), collections and a citation graph.
- A Free plan exists, and the pricing page shows both monthly and annual prices openly.
- A discount of up to 40% is listed for students and faculty with a valid school email, and for US physicians with an NPI number.
Limits and open questions
- The Free plan caps Pro messages at 10 and Deep reviews at 3 per month, so it suits trying the tool rather than regular use.
- Paying monthly costs $20 for Pro; paying annually brings it to $12 per month. Compare the same billing method when you compare tools.
- The "220M+ papers" coverage figure is a vendor claim; coverage in your field is worth checking with a few searches you already know the answer to.
- A synthesized answer is a summary. Read the underlying papers before you cite them.
Hands-on testing
Not yet done. Nobody here has run this tool in real work, so this page is based on the vendor's published pages only, listed under Sources. Notes will be added if that changes.
Affiliate status
This site has no affiliate relationship with this tool at present. The link on this page goes to the official site and earns nothing. See the disclosure.
FAQ
Is Consensus free?
There is a Free plan. As listed on 2026-10-05 it includes basic paper search, 10 Pro messages per month and up to 3 Deep reviews per month.
How much does Consensus Pro cost?
Pro is $20 per month billed monthly, or $12 per month billed annually ($144 per year). The difference is the billing method, not the plan.
How much does Consensus Deep cost?
Deep is $65 per month billed monthly, or $45 per month billed annually ($540 per year). It lists 200 Deep reviews per month.
Is there a student discount?
The pricing page lists discounts of up to 40% for students and faculty with a valid school email, and for US physicians with an NPI number. Check the current terms on the site.
Can I cite what Consensus tells me?
Cite the original papers after reading them, not the generated summary. See our guide on checking citations.
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