Verdict
Is Consensus's free plan enough for occasional literature questions, and who needs Deep?
Free keeps basic paper search, 10 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews. Pro ($12 a month, billed annually) gives unlimited Pro messages, 15 Deep reviews and 500 API and MCP uses; Deep ($45) gives 200 Deep reviews and 2,000 API and MCP uses.
Who should consider it. Consider it if you want quick, cited answers from peer-reviewed papers and a free plan to start.
Start here: first steps with Consensus
Editorial guidance based on the vendor details we recorded. We have not tested Consensus, and we do not describe its screens or settings.
- Who should start with it
- Finding what peer-reviewed research says about a question, with cited AI analysis.
- Before you create an account
- Pick one real job, for example "Research academic papers", and prepare invented or non-sensitive input for the first try.
- Read the vendor's data and privacy terms. Our privacy review checklist lists what to look for.
- Commercial-use terms: we have not verified them. Read the vendor's terms for the plan you will use.
- Which plan to start with
- Start on the free plan. The limits we recorded: Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages a month; up to 3 Deep reviews a month.
- A first small task
- Try a small version of a real case like this one: A student asking a few research questions a month on the free plan.
- How to tell whether it helps
- Time the job by hand first. Then record minutes taken, minutes of editing and credits or usage used. Use the trial scorecard.
- Common first-week mistakes
- Spending credits or usage on experiments without noting how much one job used.
- Building a routine on a free limit that resets daily or never, without checking which.
- Putting private or customer data in before reading how the vendor handles it.
- When to consider another tool
- Anyone who needs unlimited AI analysis on a free plan: Free allows 10 Pro messages a month.
- Anyone who needs a month-to-month price: only annual-billing prices are shown.
Alternatives: Elicit, Scite. Reasons to switch.
What Consensus actually does
- Searches peer-reviewed research and provides cited AI analysis (Pro messages).
- Runs Deep reviews, which are more comprehensive literature reviews across many studies.
- Provides a citation graph and other research tools on paid plans.
- Includes API and MCP uses on paid plans, with overage at $0.05 per use.
Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere
Good fits
- A student asking a few research questions a month on the free plan.
- A clinician or researcher running frequent literature reviews (Deep).
Scenarios are illustrative, based on plan limits and documented features.
Consider alternatives if
- Anyone who needs unlimited AI analysis on a free plan: Free allows 10 Pro messages a month.
- Anyone who needs a month-to-month price: only annual-billing prices are shown.
Practical workflows
Illustrative: built from documented features, not from testing.
Answer a research question with citations
Outcome: A short answer with the papers behind it
- Ask a specific, answerable research question.
- Read the cited AI analysis and open the papers it relies on.
- Run a Deep review if you need a broader look across many studies.
- Cite the papers themselves, not the summary.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths Vendor-documented
- Free-plan limits are stated as numbers
- Student, faculty and clinician discounts of up to 40% are offered
- API and MCP uses are included on paid plans
Limitations and cautions Documented limits and editorial guidance
- Free AI analysis is capped at 10 Pro messages a month
- Only annual-billing prices are shown
Hands-on testing
Not tested by us yet, so this page describes what the vendor documents. How testing is recorded.
Pricing
Free
Free planBasic paper search; 10 Pro messages a month; up to 3 Deep reviews a month
Free trial
Not statedA trial is separate from a free plan.
Cheapest paid plan
ProFrom $12/mo (currency not named), billed annually
Show all 4 plans and limits
| Plan | Price and billing | Limits and inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Free Free |
| Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages a month; up to 3 Deep reviews a month |
| Pro |
| Unlimited Pro messages; 15 Deep reviews a month; 500 API and MCP uses a month |
| Deep |
| Everything in Pro; 200 Deep reviews a month; 2,000 API and MCP uses a month |
| Team and Enterprise | Custom pricing (contact sales) | No limits listed |
How usage is counted
- Free: basic paper search without AI analysis, 10 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month.
- Pro: unlimited Pro messages, 15 Deep reviews and 500 API and MCP uses a month (up to 1,000, at $0.05 per extra use).
- Deep: 200 Deep reviews and 2,000 API and MCP uses a month (up to 10,000, at $0.05 per extra use).
- Pricing model
- Usage-based
- Currency
- Shown as "$"; the vendor's page does not name the currency
- Commercial use
- Not verified
- API
- Yes · Paid plans include API and MCP uses (500 on Pro, 2,000 on Deep).
- Pricing checked
- 21 Oct 2026 · Vendor pricing page (opens in a new tab)
- The page shows "$" without naming the currency. Students and faculty with a valid school email, and US clinicians with an NPI number, can get up to 40% off.
Prices are shown as each vendor lists them. Where a vendor shows only a "$" sign, its page does not name the currency, and vendors may show a local currency or regional price. Confirm on the vendor's page before buying.
Alternatives
Elicit
Reason to consider it: Adds data extraction into columns and a systematic-review workflow, from a free plan to $49 a month.
- Paid prices are in different, unnamed or not comparable currencies, so they are not compared here.
Scite
Reason to consider it: Shows citation context for papers, with a 7-day trial and an API on the $40 Pro plan.
- Free access: Scite is "free trial"; Consensus is "free plan".
- Paid prices are in different, unnamed or not comparable currencies, so they are not compared here.
- Platforms documented for Scite but not for Consensus: browser-extension.
Perplexity
Reason to consider it: General web research with inline citations, with Pro at US$17 a month on annual billing.
- API: Perplexity not verified; Consensus documented.
- Paid prices are in different, unnamed or not comparable currencies, so they are not compared here.
- Commercial-use terms are recorded for Perplexity only.
Frequently asked questions
Does Consensus have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan lists: Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages a month; up to 3 Deep reviews a month.
How much does Consensus cost?
The lowest-priced paid plan is Pro: from $12/mo (currency not named), billed annually. Larger plans are quoted by the vendor. Annual-billing prices are shown per month but are paid yearly. Pricing was checked 21 Oct 2026.
Does Consensus have an API?
Yes. Paid plans include API and MCP uses (500 on Pro, 2,000 on Deep).
Can I use Consensus output commercially?
We have not verified the commercial-use terms. That is a gap in our research, not a statement about the product. Read the vendor's terms before publishing output commercially.
Keep comparing
Sources and update history
| Source | What it covered | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus pricing page (opens in a new tab) | Plans, prices, free-plan limits, Deep reviews, API and MCP uses | 21 Oct 2026 |
Not yet verified
These are gaps in our research, not claims about the product.
- Month-to-month prices
- Team and Enterprise pricing
- The currency code
- Platforms
Research note
- Vendor-documented: prices, plan limits, features and terms are taken from the sources above on the dates shown.
- Editorial interpretation: the verdict, good fits, tradeoffs and workflows are our reading of those facts. None of it comes from testing the tool.
- Unverified: anything listed under "Not yet verified" is a gap in our research, not a claim about the product.
Update history
- 21 Oct 2026 · Added after research from the vendor's official pages.
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