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The Consensus Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Consensus in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Consensus

The Insider’s Guide

AI search engine that answers questions from peer-reviewed papers

Consensus, as pictured on consensus.app

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI research tools, read from Consensus’s own pages.

Made by Consensus NLP, Inc. · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.6GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Consensus’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Consensus’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.6

GPA, above 15 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade

Consensus is an AI search engine for academic research. It answers questions from an index that its homepage puts at more than 400 million scientific papers and links each claim to the paper it came from. Deep Search plans and runs a literature search, screening up to 1,000 papers and reporting on the 50 most relevant. A paper library with Zotero import, a citation graph, an API and an MCP connector for AI assistants sit alongside search.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Consensus, taken from its own pages and our grades.

  1. 1

    Best for asking what the studies actually say

    We can't tell you what it costs, because the pricing page didn't show its paid prices.

  2. 2

    There is a free plan

    Basic paper search across 400M+ papers, plus 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches per month. Paid tiers are Pro, Deep, Team and Enterprise; their prices could not be read.

  3. 3

    It runs on 2 platforms

    Web and Android.

  4. 4

    Cited answers from 400M+ papers

    Ask a research question in plain language and get a summary tied to its source papers, with filters for study type, journal rank, citation count, sample size and year.

  5. 5

    Deep Search

    Builds and runs a search strategy, screens up to 1,000 papers and writes a report on the 50 most relevant. The monthly allowance depends on the plan.

  6. 6

    Research agent

    Chains citation crawling, DOI lookup, author search and similar-paper search, and can build a comparison table from the full text of the results.

  7. 7

    A 2.6 GPA, above 15 of 27

    That is against the other AI research tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    To replace Consensus you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Consensus at a glance

Pricing
Free plan
Free plan
Yes
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web, Android
Made by
Consensus NLP, Inc., since 2021
Category
AI Research Tools
Our grade
2.6 GPA, good

The report card

Best for asking what the studies actually say

Consensus is a search engine that answers from more than 400 million peer-reviewed papers and ties each claim to its source, with a Deep Search that screens up to 1,000 papers. We can't tell you what it costs, because the pricing page didn't show its paid prices. Free gets you 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches a month, API calls past your plan's credits are $0.05 each, and no iPhone app was found.

ToolGPA report cardConsensusGraded Oct 10, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCNobody can put a number on this one. The pricing page didn't show its paid prices on two readings, and Consensus's own pricing summary leaves the dollar amounts out, so it lands where every unpriced tool lands. Pro has 15 Deep Searches a month, Deep has 200, and students get up to 40% off.
Free plan and trialCBasic paper search across 400M+ papers is free and the Citation Graph comes with every account, which is more than nothing. But the AI is rationed to 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches a month, so the bit you came for runs out in an afternoon.
FeaturesBIt covers the whole job: plain-language questions answered from their source papers, filters for study type, journal rank and sample size, Deep Search across 1,000 papers, a citation graph, a Zotero library, an API and an MCP connector. Its rivals cover the same ground, mind, several of them screening more papers.
Ease of useBNo store rating on record either way, so this rests on the product: you type a question the way you'd ask a colleague, and the answer comes back with its papers attached. Nothing to connect or configure first.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb and an Android app, with an API and an MCP connector that puts Consensus search inside ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot. It imports from Zotero too. No iOS app was found on the US App Store when it was checked.
Grade point averageGood, out of 4.02.6

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Consensus is for

  • Fits if you want to know what peer-reviewed studies say about one specific question
  • Works for teams that want cited paper search inside ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or their own tools

Who it is not for

  • Skip it if you need the price before you sign up, as the paid prices couldn't be read
  • Tight if you're staying free, with 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches a month
  • Tight if you lean on Deep Search, with 15 a month on Pro and 50 a seat on Team
  • Watch out: API calls past your plan's credits cost $0.05 each, with 500 included on Pro and Team
  • Not for you if you want an iPhone app, since none was found on the US App Store

Good to know

Good for

  • Checking what peer-reviewed studies say about a specific question
  • Students and researchers starting a literature review
  • Teams that want cited paper search inside ChatGPT, Claude or their own tools

Worth knowing

  • Paid prices could not be confirmed: the pricing page did not show them on two readings, and Consensus's own pricing summary leaves out dollar amounts.
  • The free tier allows 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches per month. Pro includes 15 Deep Searches, Deep 200 and Team 50 per seat.
  • API calls beyond a plan's included credits cost $0.05 each; 500 are included on Pro, Team and Enterprise and 2,000 on Deep.
  • An Android app is listed on Google Play. No iOS app was found on the US App Store when checked.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

Consensus's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.

We could not confirm Consensus’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. consensus.app has them.

Ways to pay less

  • Education

    Up to 40% off for students, faculty and US clinicians

    Students and faculty with a valid school email, and US clinicians with a valid NPI number, can claim up to 40% off. Consensus's pricing summary gives students 40% off for 12 months with a verified student email.

    Stated on consensus.app

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

2

Places it runs: Web and Android

AI search engine that answers questions from peer-reviewed papers. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI search, AI agents, research, citations.

Its rivals cover the same ground, mind, several of them screening more papers.
From our grade for features
Cited answers from 400M+ papers
Ask a research question in plain language and get a summary tied to its source papers, with filters for study type, journal rank, citation count, sample size and year.
Deep Search
Builds and runs a search strategy, screens up to 1,000 papers and writes a report on the 50 most relevant. The monthly allowance depends on the plan.
Research agent
Chains citation crawling, DOI lookup, author search and similar-paper search, and can build a comparison table from the full text of the results.
Citation Graph
Starts from one or more seed papers and maps what they cite and what has cited them since. It is included with every account.
Library with Zotero import
Imports papers from Zotero, BibTeX, RIS or PDF, then searches the collection, looks for gaps in it and generates bibliographies.
API and MCP connector
The API returns ranked papers with metadata for use in other tools, and the MCP connector links Consensus search to ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot.

Where it runs

  • Web
  • Android

What it works with

  • Zotero
  • ChatGPT
  • Claude
  • Microsoft Copilot
  • LibKey

Consensus is made by Consensus NLP, Inc., and has been around since 2021.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

15/27

Other AI research tools it is graded above

Consensus's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 5.

It stands best on features (B, above 15 of 27) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 1).

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 28 AI research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Consensus’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 4 of 27
  • CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 27
  • BFeaturesAbove 15 of 27
  • BEase of useAbove 13 of 27
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 8 of 27

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Consensus you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

What you could not

  • A library of papers and sources to search.
  • A search engine with an AI model behind it.
  • An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
  • Citation records for millions of papers.
  • A real app for Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
  • It plugs into other products, Zotero, ChatGPT and Claude among them, and has an API.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Consensus’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Elicit, SciSpace, Scite, Undermind and Semantic Scholar

The 5 tools Consensus is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

  • 2.4GPA

    Elicit

    Free plan · from $49/mo

    AI research assistant for literature search and systematic reviews.

    • Only Consensus lists an Android app.
    • Only Elicit lists a browser extension.
    Consensus and Elicit compared in full
  • 2.4GPA

    SciSpace

    Free plan · from $12/mo

    AI research platform for literature review and reading papers.

    • Only Consensus lists an Android app.
    • Only SciSpace lists an iOS app.
    • Only SciSpace lists a browser extension.
    Consensus and SciSpace compared in full
  • 2.2GPA

    Scite

    Free trial · from $20/mo

    Research assistant that shows how papers have been cited.

    • Consensus has a free plan. Scite does not, though it has a free trial.
    • Only Consensus lists an Android app.
    • Only Scite lists a browser extension.
    Consensus and Scite compared in full
  • 2.2GPA

    Undermind

    Free plan · from $16/mo

    AI literature search agent that reads hundreds of papers.

    • Only Consensus lists an Android app.
    • Undermind also covers chat assistant.
    Consensus and Undermind compared in full
  • 3.2GPA

    Semantic Scholar

    Free

    Free AI-powered search engine for scientific literature.

    • Only Consensus lists an Android app.
    • Only Semantic Scholar lists a browser extension.
    • Consensus also covers AI agents.
    Consensus and Semantic Scholar compared in full

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

13

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Consensus free?

Consensus has a free plan. Basic paper search across 400M+ papers, plus 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep Searches per month.

What platforms does Consensus work on?

Consensus is available on Web and Android.

Does Consensus offer any discounts?

Consensus publicly lists the following: Up to 40% off for students, faculty and US clinicians.

Does Consensus have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Consensus is listed for Web and Android.

Does Consensus have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 2026. Consensus is listed for Web and Android.

Is Consensus open source?

Consensus is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 9, 2026.

Does Consensus have an API?

Yes. Consensus offers a public API, according to its own site.

What does Consensus integrate with?

Consensus's listing names Zotero, ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot and LibKey.

Does Consensus have a student discount?

Up to 40% off for students, faculty and US clinicians. Students and faculty with a valid school email, and US clinicians with a valid NPI number, can claim up to 40% off.

Who makes Consensus?

Consensus is made by Consensus NLP, Inc. It dates from 2021.

What are the alternatives to Consensus?

The closest alternatives to Consensus in our directory are Elicit, SciSpace, Scite, Undermind and Semantic Scholar.

How does Consensus compare with other AI research tools?

Consensus's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 15 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 5.

Could I make my own version of Consensus?

To replace Consensus you would be making a library of papers and sources to search.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Consensus’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Consensus's own pages on 9 October 2026. Its paid prices could not be read, so the value grade is the one we give when a listing can't say. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-02-06.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Consensus NLP, Inc. Prices change, so check consensus.app before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

3,189

Tools graded, in 94 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 3,189

    tools graded

  • 94

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Consensus: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/consensus

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The best-graded AI research tools after Consensus, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

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Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Consensus’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Consensus is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Consensus NLP, Inc. Prices and plans change: check consensus.app before you buy.