Consensus

Consensus is an AI academic search engine that answers research questions using 200M+ peer-reviewed papers and shows the citations behind each claim. The ongoing free plan covers searches and AI summaries, which is handy for essays and literature reviews.

Best for: Answering questions from real studies

What you get

• Free plan (ongoing, no credit card): unlimited basic searches across 200M+ papers, plus about 15 Pro AI messages, 3 Deep Searches, and ~10 study snapshots per month (exact caps vary by source — check their site)
• Pro is ~$10/mo billed annually (~$120/yr); the month-to-month rate is higher (~$15–20/mo) — check their site
• Students/faculty get 40% off Pro with a verified .edu/.ac email (roughly ~$6/mo — check their site)
• Heads-up: several Trustpilot reviews report surprise annual-renewal charges (~$107.88), so watch the auto-renew if you upgrade

How students use it

• Check what the research actually says on a claim
• Find supporting (and opposing) papers for an essay
• Skim the evidence with the consensus meter