Consensus is an AI workspace and academic search engine for scientific research. It searches more than 220 million peer-reviewed papers, with the database updated weekly. Its Research Agent can plan multi-step searches, use citation crawling and DOI lookup, and return answers grounded in research with citations. Users can narrow papers by publication date, access status, citation count, journal rank, study design, population, sample size, duration, publisher, field, or country. Medical Mode searches a curated collection of about 8 million papers and 50,000 clinical guidelines from the top 1,000 medical journals. Consensus says citations in AI summaries point to exact paper quotations and identify the source section; PDF text is highlighted when available. It supports Zotero imports and CSV or RIS exports, and is available through ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft 365 Copilot. The free tier includes unlimited paper searches, limited Pro messages, three Deep reviews and 30 API and MCP calls monthly. Pro is 20.00 USD per month; Deep is 65.00 USD per month. Both have lower monthly equivalents when billed annually.
Who it is for
Consensus suits researchers, students, and clinicians looking for research search and citation-backed summaries. Its team plans are aimed at research groups, labs, and academic departments.
What is good
- Searches a weekly updated database of over 220 million papers.
- Research Agent plans multi-step searches and returns cited answers.
- Medical Mode includes papers and clinical guidelines.
- Imports Zotero libraries and exports CSV or RIS.
- Available on web, Android, iOS, and as an extension.
What to know first
- Free tier limits Pro messages and Deep reviews.
- Free tier includes 30 API and MCP calls monthly.
- Paid plans have monthly API and MCP call allowances.
Verdict
Consensus combines broad academic search with filters, research workflows, and citations linked to paper passages. The free tier supports unlimited paper searches, while Pro and Deep add higher usage allowances for other features.
Consensus plans and pricing
All plansCompared on AI research assistants
- Free plan
- Yes
