Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search
Consensus vs Exa vs Kagi
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone who wants to know whether something is backed by actual studies before repeating it.
Pick it if: People using Claude Code or building their own assistants who want real web search behind them.
Pick it if: People who search all day for work and are tired of ads and spammy results.
Overview
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Searches academic papers and tells you what the evidence actually says. | A search engine built for AI tools, so Claude can find exactly the pages it needs. | A paid search engine with no ads or tracking, plus an AI assistant that cites sources. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $20/mo | From $4 per 1 | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | – | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | – | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | – | No | Yes |
| Understands images | No | No | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | – |
| Works in many languages | – | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional fact-checking. | FreeOur pick Free Personal use inside Claude Code. | Trial Free Seeing the difference. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Anyone who checks evidence weekly. | Pay as you go From $4 per 1,000 searches Anyone whose usage outgrows the free credit. | Starter $5/mo Light searchers. | |
Deep $65/mo, or $45/mo billed yearly Researchers and clinicians doing frequent literature reviews. | Enterprise Custom Companies building products on top of it. | ProfessionalOur pick $10/mo Anyone who searches every day. | |
Teams Custom Labs, departments and research groups. | Ultimate $25/mo Heavy AI users. | ||
Duo and Family Duo $14/mo, Family $20/mo Couples and households. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Free. If you find yourself rationing the 10 Pro messages, Pro billed yearly is good value at $12 a month. Deep is only for people whose job is literature reviews; most readers here will never need it. | Start free. The monthly $10 of credit is plenty for one person using it from Claude Code, and if you do run out you only pay for what you use. Enterprise is for software companies, not for a business that just wants better search. | Use the free trial for a week, then take Professional. 300 searches on Starter goes in a couple of weeks for most people. Only pay for Ultimate if you'd otherwise pay for an AI chat subscription, since it bundles the top models. Yearly billing saves 10%. |
Key features
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Kagi |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Consensus, Exa or Kagi?
They tie on our overall rating (Consensus 4.3/5, Exa 4.0/5 and Kagi 4.3/5). Consensus is best for fact-checking health claims and finding studies on a topic. Exa is best for web search inside Claude Code and finding sites like one you know. Kagi is best for everyday search without ads or tracking and research where you want trustworthy sources.
Which is cheaper, Consensus, Exa or Kagi?
Consensus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Exa: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at From $4 per 1. Kagi: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $5/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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