Pick Consensus if
students and clinicians who want a paper-backed answer with a Pro/Deep meter.
Read the Consensus pageConsensus vs Semantic Scholar
Our take
Pick Consensus if students and clinicians who want a paper-backed answer with a Pro/Deep meter. Pick Semantic Scholar if students and researchers who want a free index and a reader, not a $49 agent. Skip Consensus if people who need a systematic-review screening table (Elicit) or a general cited web search (Perplexity). Skip Semantic Scholar if people who want a systematic-review agent (Elicit) or a cited web answer
Best for
Consensus A question over peer-reviewed papers
Semantic Scholar Open a paper and read it with AI-assisted context
Free plan
Consensus $0 · /mo. Basic paper search; 10 Pro messages/month; up to 3 Deep reviews/month
Semantic Scholar $0 · “Create Free Account” only
Lowest paid
Consensus Pro (annual display) $12/mo
Semantic Scholar Not published by the vendor
Next step up
Consensus Deep (annual display) $45/mo
Semantic Scholar
Runs where
Consensus Hosted
Semantic Scholar
Watch out
Consensus Free Pro messages and Deep reviews are capped
Semantic Scholar Free is not a systematic-review workflow
Last checked
Consensus 2026-10-19 · consensus.app/pricing
Semantic Scholar 2026-10-19 · semanticscholar.org
Which one, then?
Pick Semantic Scholar if
students and researchers who want a free index and a reader, not a $49 agent.
Read the Semantic Scholar page