Elicit and Consensus are AI research tools that search academic papers instead of the general web. Consensus is built to answer research questions by summarizing what studies say, while Elicit is built for literature reviews, with tables for comparing studies. Here's how they compare for students.
| Feature | Elicit | Consensus |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Literature reviews and comparing studies | Seeing what studies say on a research question |
| Free plan | Unlimited search across 138M+ papers, unlimited summaries and chat with papers; limited Research Agent and reports | Unlimited paper searches, 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep reviews per month |
| Paid price | Paid plans billed annually — see Elicit's pricing page | Pro $20/month or $144/year |
| Comparing studies | Data-extraction tables | Summaries of study findings |
| Exports and Zotero | Zotero import on free; exports (RIS, CSV, BIB and more) on paid plans | Check Consensus's site |
| Best subjects | Empirical research | Science, health and social science |
| Student discount | No student-specific discount listed; discounted academic plans available | 40% off for students with a verified school email |
Prices and features as of November 2026 — check the official site for current details
Prices and features as of November 2026 — check the official site for current details
Best for: quick answers on what the research says
Consensus is an AI search engine for academic research that searches scientific papers and summarizes what the studies say. The free plan includes unlimited paper searches, 10 Pro messages and 3 Deep reviews per month. Consensus Pro costs $20/month or $144/year.
Why students use it:
Best for: literature reviews and comparing studies in a table
Elicit is an AI research assistant built for literature reviews. The free Basic plan includes unlimited search across more than 138 million academic papers, unlimited summaries, chat with full-text papers and Zotero import, with limited use of its Research Agent and research reports. Paid plans, billed annually, add exports (RIS, CSV, BIB and more), more data-extraction table columns and a systematic review workflow; see Elicit's pricing page for current prices. No student-specific discount is listed, but Elicit offers discounted academic plans.
Why students use it:
Choose Consensus if you want a quick, readable picture of what research says on a question in science, health or social science. Choose Elicit if you're writing a literature review and want to compare many studies side by side. Both have useful free plans, so many students use Consensus to get oriented and Elicit to dig deeper. Always read the papers you cite.
AI research tools can miss studies and misstate findings. Use them to find and organize papers, read the papers yourself, check every citation, and follow your course's AI policy.