ConsensusFree plan
Paid from
$20 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Consensus vs Elicit:
which should you use?
Consensus and Elicit, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
Consensus is built for search, research & academics.
Elicit is built for search, research & academics.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
ElicitFree plan
Paid from
$19 a month
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | Consensus | Elicit | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Searches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect. | Searches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free plan at $0: basic paper search, 15 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month, though the same card also describes the free tier as being without AI analysis | Yes. Basic plan, free on both tabs: limited use of the Research Agent and Research Reports, but unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers at full text | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $20 a month. | $19 a month. | Elicit |
| What the paid tiers cost |
|
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | The consensus meter reflects the papers it found, not the state of the field. Deep reviews are the metered resource — 3 a month free, 15 on Pro, 200 on Deep — so that is what decides the tier rather than how much you search. | Coverage is strongest in empirical fields. Extraction is a starting point for a literature review, not the review. Prices split by audience: the academic ladder starts at $11 and the industry one at $49, for tiers of the same name. | Tie |
| Made by | Consensus — Boston, US. | Elicit — Oakland, US. | Tie |
Elicit is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Consensus are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.
Elicit
Searches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose.
✓ Searches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose.
✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $19 against $20
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Basic plan, free on both tabs: limited use of the Research Agent and Research Reports, but unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers at full text
Searches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect.
Consensus is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Searches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect.
✓ It is built for search, research & academics
✓ Free plan at $0: basic paper search, 15 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month, though the same card also describes the free tier as being without AI analysis
✓ It attaches sources you can open and check
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | Elicit | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
The prices
Consensus. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Consensus cannot be read automatically: Both consensus.app/pricing/ and the help-centre article return 200 with the plans drawn in JavaScript; the browser step found no amounts either. Runs 16, 17, 19 and 20 all agree. Priced by hand from the in-app upgrade panel, which is where the Individual plans are actually shown; the Team and Enterprise tab is still uncovered. consensus.app/pricing
Elicit. Read by hand off elicit.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. elicit.com/pricing
The ratings
The category these two share. Search, Research & Academics — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
Consensus
Not a good fitElicit
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Consensus
Built for thisElicit
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Consensus
Not a good fitElicit
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Consensus
Bad fitElicit
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Consensus
Not a good fitElicit
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Consensus
Bad fitElicit
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Consensus
Bad fitElicit
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Consensus
Bad fitElicit
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Consensus
Bad fitElicit
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Consensus
Not a good fitElicit
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
Searches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect.
Boston, USSearches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect.
It is built for search, research & academics
Free plan at $0: basic paper search, 15 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month, though the same card also describes the free tier as being without AI analysis
It attaches sources you can open and check
Searches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose.
Oakland, USSearches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $19 against $20
It is built for search, research & academics
Basic plan, free on both tabs: limited use of the Research Agent and Research Reports, but unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers at full text
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Free version
Consensus
Yes — Free plan availableBasic paper search, 15 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month
Elicit
Yes — Free plan availableLimited use of the Research Agent and Research Reports, but unlimited search across more than
Individual plans
Consensus
Pro
$20 / month$12 / month (annual)
Deep
$65 / month$45 / month (annual)
Elicit
Academic Plus
$19 / month$11 / month (annual)
Academic Pro
$69 / month$39 / month (annual)
Academic Scale
$149 / month$89 / month (annual)
Industry Pro
$75 / month$49 / month (annual)
Industry Scale
$279 / month$169 / month (annual)
Business plans
ConsensusNot sold to teams
ElicitNot sold to teams
Enterprise
ConsensusNot published
Elicit
Custom pricing
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover search, research & academics at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on; Elicit is cheaper to start paying for, $19 against $20.
6 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Consensus or Elicit better?
Elicit is ahead on 1 of the 6 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Consensus are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on; Elicit is cheaper to start paying for, $19 against $20. Consensus: Searches published papers and tells you how many of them support a claim, which turns a yes-or-no question into a count you can inspect. Elicit: Searches actual papers and extracts findings into a table you can check, one row per study, rather than answering in prose.
Is Consensus or Elicit cheaper?
Elicit — paid plans start at $19 a month against $20 a month.
Do Consensus and Elicit both have free plans?
Yes. Consensus: Free plan at $0: basic paper search, 15 Pro messages a month and up to 3 Deep reviews a month, though the same card also describes the free tier as being without AI analysis. Elicit: Basic plan, free on both tabs: limited use of the Research Agent and Research Reports, but unlimited search across more than 138 million papers, unlimited summaries and unlimited chat with papers at full text.
What should I watch out for?
Consensus: The consensus meter reflects the papers it found, not the state of the field. Deep reviews are the metered resource — 3 a month free, 15 on Pro, 200 on Deep — so that is what decides the tier rather than how much you search. Elicit: Coverage is strongest in empirical fields. Extraction is a starting point for a literature review, not the review. Prices split by audience: the academic ladder starts at $11 and the industry one at $49, for tiers of the same name.
Read more
Consensus
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Elicit
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI for Research
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.