Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search
Consensus vs Gemini Deep Research 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: Anyone who needs a thorough written briefing on a topic and would rather edit than research.
Pick it if: People who search all day for work and are tired of ads and spammy results.
Overview
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Searches academic papers and tells you what the evidence actually says. | Google's agent that browses for minutes and writes a long, sourced report. | 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 | $4.99/mo | $5/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 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 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | – | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | 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 | – | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | Yes | No |
| Writes code | No | Yes | 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 | 14/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional fact-checking. | Free Free The occasional big question. | Trial Free Seeing the difference. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Anyone who checks evidence weekly. | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo Light users who want a bit more headroom. | Starter $5/mo Light searchers. | |
Deep $65/mo, or $45/mo billed yearly Researchers and clinicians doing frequent literature reviews. | Google AI ProOur pick $19.99/mo Anyone who runs a few reports a week or also uses NotebookLM. | ProfessionalOur pick $10/mo Anyone who searches every day. | |
Teams Custom Labs, departments and research groups. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Power users who want the highest limits across all of Google AI. | 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. | Try the free plan first; it is enough to see the style of report you get. If you want it weekly, Google AI Pro is the pick because the Pro model writes better reports and the same subscription upgrades NotebookLM and Gemini in Gmail and Docs. | 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
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Consensus | Gemini Deep Research | Kagi |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Consensus, Gemini Deep Research or Kagi?
They tie on our overall rating (Consensus 4.3/5, Gemini Deep Research 4.0/5 and Kagi 4.3/5). Consensus is best for fact-checking health claims and finding studies on a topic. Gemini Deep Research is best for industry and market reports and supplier or vendor comparisons. Kagi is best for everyday search without ads or tracking and research where you want trustworthy sources.
Which is cheaper, Consensus, Gemini Deep Research or Kagi?
Consensus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Gemini Deep Research: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $4.99/mo. 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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