Consensus vs Perplexity

Consensus (AI-powered academic search over peer-reviewed papers.) and Perplexity (AI answer engine with cited web research.) compared side by side: plans and prices, vendor-stated features, platforms and sign-in, with the date each fact was checked. Matches based on official product information.

Based on official vendor pages, linked below
Consensus pricing checked: 2026-10-27
Perplexity pricing checked: 2026-10-30

At a glance

Consensus

AI research tools

What it does: AI-powered academic search over peer-reviewed papers.
Strong at: A good fit for research questions answered from peer-reviewed papers with citations.
Free plan: Yes - mixed free access
Paid plans from: US$20 / month

Pricing checked 2026-10-27 · Full Consensus record · Official site

Perplexity

Perplexity AI

AI research tools

What it does: AI answer engine with cited web research.
Strong at: Strong fit for research questions where cited, browsable sources matter more than conversation.
Free plan: Yes - mixed free access
Paid plans from: Not stated

Pricing checked 2026-10-30 · Full Perplexity record · Official site

Plans & pricing

Consensus plans & pricing

Checked 2026-10-27. · Vendor pricing page Confirm prices and terms with the vendor before buying.

Free

$0 / month

Pro

$20/month monthly-billed ($12/month billed annually, $144/year)

Deep

$65/month monthly-billed ($45/month billed annually, $540/year)

Perplexity plans & pricing

Checked 2026-10-30. · Vendor pricing page Confirm prices and terms with the vendor before buying.

Pro

$17/month

$17/month when billed annually

Max

$167/month

$167/month when billed annually

Side-by-side facts

	Consensus	Perplexity
Free plan	Yes - mixed free access	Yes - mixed free access
Paid plans from	US$20 / month	Not stated
Sign-in	Account setup is documented.	Optional for some features. Sign in for uploads, Pro Search and saved sessions.

What each tool says it does

Consensus - vendor-stated features

Academic search
Deep reviews
Cited analysis

Perplexity - vendor-stated features

Deep research
Model choice
Documents & apps

Worth knowing before you choose

Consensus - worth knowing

Monthly and annual-billed figures are listed separately.
Annual equivalents: Pro $12/mo ($144/yr), Deep $45/mo ($540/yr).
Plans include API & MCP uses (500/mo Pro, 2,000/mo Deep) with $0.05/use beyond included caps.
Student/faculty/clinician discount up to 40% (school email or US NPI).
Platform: web only; mobile is add-to-home-screen via Safari/Chrome - NO native app (vendor help).
API: self-serve on every plan; included calls/month Free 30, Pro 500 (max 1,000), Teams 500, Deep 2,000 (max 10,000), Enterprise custom; 1 req/sec; Free tier max 20 papers/request, no pagination past page 1, no full-text excerpts; shares monthly pool with Consensus MCP.
Key creation requires a signed-in account (API/MCP dashboard); core search signup requirement not checked.
"Consensus is free to use, with optional subscription plans available for additional features.
Not a trial.

Perplexity - worth knowing

Paid figures shown here are annual-billed equivalents.
Free basic searches are practically unlimited. Pro Searches have a renewable daily allowance (3/day), and Research has a renewable monthly allowance (1/month).
Advanced models are excluded from the Free plan. API credits are billed separately.
The mobile apps are distinct from the Comet browser product.

Common questions

Is Consensus or Perplexity free to use?

Consensus: Yes - mixed free access (checked 2026-10-27). Perplexity: Yes - mixed free access (checked 2026-10-30).

Which is better, Consensus or Perplexity?

It depends on the job. Consensus: A good fit for research questions answered from peer-reviewed papers with citations. Perplexity: Strong fit for research questions where cited, browsable sources matter more than conversation. The feature and pricing tables above show where they differ.

Where do these facts come from?

Every fact on this page is read from the vendors' own product and pricing pages, with the checked date shown beside it. Links to both official pages are at the top of each column.

Keep comparing

This comparison is not a recommendation: it sets out what each vendor states on its own pages, with the dates those pages were checked. Prices and features change - confirm with the vendor before buying.