Consensus

Consensus is an AI-powered academic search engine that searches over 220 million research papers and synthesizes what the scientific literature says about a specific question. Unlike Google Scholar (which returns a list of papers), Consensus extracts the key finding from each paper and generates a Consensus Meter — an aggregate view of whether the literature supports, contradicts, or is mixed on a specific claim.

The platform is designed for researchers, students, and evidence-based professionals who need to quickly determine what peer-reviewed science says on a topic without reading dozens of papers. Each result shows the paper, the methodology, the sample size, and the direction of the finding — with AI-generated summaries for each paper.

Key capabilities include natural language academic search, Consensus Meter (visual synthesis of what research says), per-paper AI summaries, study snapshot cards (methodology, sample, finding), citation export, filter by study type (RCT, meta-analysis), and search across 220M+ papers from PubMed, Semantic Scholar, and other databases.

Pricing: Free plan provides limited searches per day with basic features. Pro at $15 per month provides unlimited searches, advanced filters, and GPT-4 Synthesis (AI-generated comprehensive summaries). Teams at $9.99 per seat per month provides shared workspace and team features. Academic institutions can access through institutional licenses.

Limitations: Consensus is strongest for empirical research questions in health, science, and social science. It is less useful for historical, legal, or humanities research where peer-reviewed papers are not the primary evidence source. Coverage is biased toward English-language literature. The Consensus Meter simplifies complex scientific debates.

Best suited for medical professionals, researchers, evidence-based policy professionals, and students who need to quickly survey the scientific literature on specific questions with AI-generated synthesis.