Consensus
AI‑powered academic search engine delivering evidence‑based answers grounded in peer‑reviewed research.
What is Consensus?
Consensus is an AI‑driven academic research assistant combining traditional and AI-powered search across over 200 million peer-reviewed papers. It emphasizes transparency and rigor: every generated response is tied back to source papers with citations, minimizing hallucination risk. Users benefit from synthesis tools like Pro Analysis, Consensus Meter, Study Snapshot, and Ask Paper for efficient literature review workflows. The company, founded in 2021 and based in the US (San Francisco), publicly launched the web app in September 2022 and integrates through ChatGPT custom GPTs and APIs.
What you can do with it
Quick evidence‑based answers
Users pose questions in plain language and receive synthesized, cited summaries grounded in academic literature.
Literature review preparation
Researchers survey the landscape via multiple targeted queries to map consensus, gaps, and contested areas efficiently.
Compare interventions or claims
Run parallel searches on different approaches and compare findings via Consensus Meter and research summaries.
Deep, structured research projects
Use Deep Search mode or research agent features to build detailed briefs, comparison tables, and identify literature gaps.
Research support in ChatGPT
Leverage Consensus as a ChatGPT app for cited summaries, briefs, and focused follow‑ups during conversation.
Educational and factual verification
Students, journalists, or educators quickly check support for claims and gather citations for essays or fact checking.
Key features
- Search across 200–220 million peer‑reviewed research papers
- Natural‑language and keyword hybrid semantic search
- AI‑driven synthesis: Consensus Meter, Pro Analysis, Study Snapshot, Ask Paper
- Advanced search filters by study design, sample size, recency, journal quality
- Citation chaining, DOI lookup, author tracing, and similarity linking
- Organize and save papers in custom collections like My Library
- Integration as an app in ChatGPT for in‑conversation research workflows
Screenshots
Inputs / Outputs
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
Citation‑grounded answers
Every response references specific peer-reviewed papers, enabling traceability and reduced hallucination risk.
Consensus Meter
Visualizes agreement or disagreement across studies on yes/no questions, offering immediate insight into consensus.
Multi‑modal research tools
Features like Pro Analysis, Study Snapshot, Ask Paper and advanced filters streamline literature synthesis and review.
Generous free tier
Allows substantial access to core functionality without cost, making it accessible to students and independent researchers.
Integration ecosystem
Available as a web app and custom GPT in ChatGPT store; offers API and Team/Enterprise integrations for institutions.
Limitations
Not a substitute for full reviews
Tool assists early-stage literature scoping but cannot replace thorough, manual systematic reviews.
Bias via publication metrics
Ranking relies in part on citation counts and journal prestige, which may skew toward well-known studies.
Subscription costs for power users
Advanced usage requires Pro or Deep subscriptions (~$10–$45/month), which may be restrictive for some.
Enterprise complexity
Institutional plans involve custom pricing, onboarding, and integration effort.
Pricing & Plans
Model: Freemium
Free
Basic search features with limited Pro messages, Deep reviews, Study Snapshots per month
Pro
Unlimited Pro messages, 15 Deep reviews/month, unlimited Study Snapshots, full AI synthesis capabilities
Deep
Everything in Pro plus 200 Deep reviews per month for heavy‑use research workflows
Teams
Per‑user billing, team account management, organizational control, discounts up to ~200 seats, future API access
Free tier with daily/monthly usage limits; Pro (≈$10/month billed annually or $15 monthly) unlocks unlimited AI summaries, deep searches, Ask Paper, Study Snapshot; Deep tier (~$45/month) adds higher quotas; Teams and Enterprise available with custom pricing.
Who it's for
Ideal for
Researchers, students, clinicians, and professionals seeking fast, evidence‑based summaries and synthesis of peer‑reviewed literature.
Not ideal for
Users needing exhaustive systematic reviews, raw data extraction, or uninterested in scientific citations and nuance.
What users say
- Trustworthiness of sourced content
- Time‑saving for literature review
- Ease of use via synthesis tools
- Accessibility through generous free usage
- Institutional adoption in academia
Prompts & Results
›What does the latest literature say about intermittent fasting and longevity?
Consensus returns a Pro Analysis summarizing top studies, quotes findings with citations, and shows via the Consensus Meter whether studies generally support a positive, neutral, or negative effect.
›Show methodology details of the top study on mindfulness and stress reduction
Using Study Snapshot, Consensus extracts and displays structured metadata (design, sample size, duration, methods) from the selected paper.
FAQ
Is Consensus free to use?+
Yes. Consensus offers a free tier with basic search, limited Pro Analysis uses, and Consensus Meter functionality.
What does the Pro subscription include?+
Pro (~$10/month annually or $15/month monthly) provides unlimited Pro Analysis, extra Deep searches, Ask Paper chat, and Study Snapshots.
What is the Consensus Meter?+
An AI tool that aggregates yes/no studies to show the proportion of agreement, disagreement, or inconclusive findings.
Can I chat directly with a paper?+
Yes. The 'Ask Paper' feature lets you interact via natural language with a paper's content when PDFs are available.
Ratings & Reviews
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