Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search
Consensus vs Exa vs Perplexity (Research)
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
Consensus
4.1Pick it if: Anyone who wants to know whether something is backed by actual studies before repeating it.
Exa
4.0Pick it if: People using Claude Code or building their own assistants who want real web search behind them.
Perplexity (Research)
4.6Pick it if: Anyone who would otherwise spend an afternoon reading tabs to answer one question.
Overview
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Runs dozens of searches on a question and hands back a cited report in minutes. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | From $4 per 1 | $17/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Perplexity (Research) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.6Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 3.5 | 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 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | – | No | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | No |
| Works in many languages | – | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 15/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional fact-checking. | FreeOur pick Free Personal use inside Claude Code. | Free Free Quick sourced answers and a taste of research mode. |
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. | ProOur pick $17/mo billed yearly Anyone who researches most days. | |
Deep $65/mo, or $45/mo billed yearly Researchers and clinicians doing frequent literature reviews. | Enterprise Custom Companies building products on top of it. | Max $200/mo, or $167/mo billed yearly Heavy users who also want the Computer agent and the newest models first. | |
Teams Custom Labs, departments and research groups. | Enterprise Pro From $40/seat/mo Teams that need admin controls and shared billing. | ||
| 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. | Pro is the one. The free plan is too tight to judge research mode properly, and Max only makes sense if you want the Computer agent or you hit Pro limits every day. Businesses with a few people on it should look at Enterprise Pro for the admin controls. |
Key features
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Consensus | Exa | Perplexity (Research) |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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