Consensus
The AI search engine that only answers based on science — and shows exactly where each answer came from.
By Thiago Lourenço Martins
A search engine that only says what science has actually shown
Consensus is an AI search engine that scans over 220 million peer-reviewed research papers and answers your question by citing exactly which study each claim came from. Think of it as a librarian who has read all published scientific and medical literature — and instead of offering an opinion, only shows you what the studies actually found, with the source next to every sentence.
No more digging through PubMed for hours to find one answer
A specific clinical or scientific question usually means reading dozens of papers, comparing methodologies, and still wondering whether that summary you found on Google is outdated or taken out of context.
That is the size of the peer-reviewed database Consensus scans on every search — including a Medical mode with about 8 million articles and 50,000 clinical guidelines from the top 1,000 journals in the field. Ask your question in plain language and get a synthesis with the strength of the evidence, not a generic AI opinion.
How people in different fields use it
Before deciding on treatment, asks about the ideal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after a stent and turns on Medical mode to restrict the search to guidelines from top journals.
Uses Deep Review to turn a scattered topic into a structured literature review — with introduction, methods and discussion — in a few minutes.
Before publishing a controversial claim, checks the Consensus Meter, which shows the level of agreement across the studies on that topic.
From question to a sourced answer
- Create your account at consensus.app/sign-up
Sign up with your email (name is optional, then click "Next") or with your Google account. Confirm the 6-digit code sent to your inbox.
- Go to consensus.app/search and type your question
You can use plain language, keywords, or even an author's name or a DOI.
works in natural English - Choose your search mode
By default, the search runs as a Pro message (analyzes up to 20 papers). Click Deep to turn it into a full review that analyzes up to 50 papers.
- Open the "Corpus" menu and pick where to search
"All" searches the full database (220M+ papers); "Medical mode" restricts to ~8 million articles and 50,000 guidelines from the top 1,000 medical journals; "My Library" searches only your saved papers.
- Submit and read the answer
Yes/no questions generate the Consensus Meter, showing how much the studies found agree or disagree.
- Export the result
Click the export arrow to download as CSV, RIS, or generate a ready-made bibliography in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, BibTeX or AMA/Numeric.
A ready-made request for the search box
Review the most recent literature on [clinical or scientific topic]. Only bring studies published in the last 5 years, with a sample size above 200 participants, and build a table with: study design, population, main outcome, and level of evidence.
You get a comparison table of the most relevant studies, each row citing its source.
Tips & common mistakes
Do this
- Use quotes for exact phrases and AND / OR / NOT operators to refine your search precisely.
- Turn on Medical mode for clinical questions — it filters to the highest-quality sources.
- Ask for the format you want right in the query: "build a table," "list in bullet points," "explain in simple terms."
Real limitations
- Assuming Deep Review is unlimited on the free plan: it's only 3 per month, and using Deep also consumes one of your 15 Pro message credits.
- Asking about something with no published scientific literature — today's news, opinion, rumors. Consensus only sees peer-reviewed studies.
- Confusing Paper search (formerly Quick search) with an analysis: it only lists papers, with no AI summary — for that you need Pro or Deep.
A tutorial in Portuguese to go further
* Independent suggestion, chosen for content quality. We have no relationship or sponsorship with this channel.
Try it now with a question of your own
Pick a health or science question you've been wondering about — for example, "is creatine safe for long-term use?" — and search it on Consensus, in Pro mode.
It worked if you get the Consensus Meter with the level of agreement across studies and at least 3 papers cited as sources, in under 30 seconds.
Our honest take on Consensus
score 4.2 out of 5
You know when you throw a health question at Google and get back a sea of opinions with no rhyme or reason? Consensus solves exactly that: you ask, and it answers based only on real scientific studies, showing every article it used — click and check. It even has a 'consensus meter' showing whether studies agree or not. For science questions, it's far more reliable than a plain chatbot, which sometimes makes things up. But be realistic about the limits: it's only for questions science actually studies (not a general chat or content creator), the studies are almost all in English, and the genuinely powerful features sit behind a paid plan, in dollars.
Tested and checked against official sources on July 2, 2026.
What's in its favor
- Answers based on over 200 million peer-reviewed scientific papers, with a clickable citation for every source — you can verify instantly.
- The consensus meter shows at a glance whether studies agree or disagree on a yes/no question.
- Much more reliable than a chatbot for health and science: since everything comes from published research, the 'making things up' risk drops sharply.
- The free plan is already genuinely useful — you can search and get a sourced answer at no cost.
Where it falls short
- It's only for scientific questions (health, nutrition, psychology…). For creating text, chatting or researching news, it's not the tool.
- The studies are almost all in English — you ask in Portuguese, but cited sources come back in English.
- The good features (deep searches, unlimited use) sit behind a paid, dollar-only plan — the free tier has a monthly cap.
- It can summarize a study imprecisely. The upside is it shows the source — so click and check.
Who Consensus makes sense for
Great fit if you…
- are a student, researcher or teacher needing evidence-based answers, with a source you can cite.
- work in health (or just want to decide about your own) and want what science actually says, not internet guesswork.
- are a journalist or content creator needing data with a scientific source to back a piece.
Look elsewhere if you…
- want to create content or chat about anything — try ChatGPT or Gemini instead.
- need to research current news from the web — Perplexity does that better.
- don't read any English and want everything in Portuguese — most sources will be in English.
Consensus's prices (in dollars)
Yes, you can use it for free — search with sourced answers, no card. What paid unlocks is volume: deep searches and unlimited use. All in dollars.
US$ 0 — search with study-based answers and cited sources, with a monthly cap on deep searches. No card.
US$ 15/mo (~US$ 10/mo annually) — unlimited Pro searches and more deep searches per month. In dollars.
US$ 45/mo — for heavy literature reviews: 200 deep searches a month. In dollars.
~40% off Pro with student verification. Also in dollars.
Heads up: price is dollar-only (international card + tax), with no plan in reais. Official prices as of July 2026 (consensus.app/pricing).
When another tool serves better
Consensus is unbeatable at one thing: an answer anchored in scientific study. But it's a specialist, not an all-rounder. For general web research with sources, Perplexity wins; for creating and chatting, ChatGPT; for studying your own documents, NotebookLM.
When you want to research the open, current web with cited sources — not just scientific papers.
When the research is about YOUR OWN documents (PDFs, textbooks), not published science.
Questions from people just starting
Is Consensus really free?
Yes, there's a genuinely free plan: search and get study-based answers with cited sources, no payment. Heavier features (Deep Search, Pro messages) have a monthly cap.
Do I need a credit card?
Not for the free plan. A card is only needed if you subscribe to Pro, and then billing is in dollars.
Does it work in Portuguese?
You can ask in Portuguese and it understands. Honest caveat: the vast majority of scientific studies are written in English, so cited sources will almost always be in English.
What's the difference vs ChatGPT?
ChatGPT answers from its 'knowledge' and sometimes makes things up. Consensus only answers based on real scientific articles and shows each study it used — you can click and check. For health, science, or 'what does research say about X,' it's much more reliable.
Can I trust the answers?
Much more than a plain chatbot, because everything comes from published, peer-reviewed research — and it even shows a 'consensus meter' on whether studies agree. But trust while double-checking: click the source, since it can summarize a study imprecisely.
Does it work for any topic?
No. Consensus is built for questions science studies (health, nutrition, psychology, behavior, etc.). For creating text, chatting or researching today's news, it's not the tool — that's ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity.
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