Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search
Consensus 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 2 tools. Add one more if you like.
At a glance
Overview
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Consensus | Kagi |
|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Consensus | Kagi |
|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | – | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No |
| Browser extension | – | Yes |
| API access | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | ||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No |
| AI abilities | ||
| Works with your files | – | Yes |
| Understands images | No | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No |
| Writes code | No | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No |
| Learns your brand or style | No | – |
| Works in many languages | – | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Consensus | Kagi |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional fact-checking. | Trial Free Seeing the difference. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Anyone who checks evidence weekly. | Starter $5/mo Light searchers. | |
Deep $65/mo, or $45/mo billed yearly Researchers and clinicians doing frequent literature reviews. | 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. | 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 | Kagi |
|---|---|---|
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Consensus | Kagi |
|---|---|---|
| Best for |
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| You'll find it used by |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Consensus or Kagi?
They tie on our overall rating (Consensus 4.3/5 and Kagi 4.3/5). Consensus is best for fact-checking health claims and finding studies on a topic. Kagi is best for everyday search without ads or tracking and research where you want trustworthy sources.
Which is cheaper, Consensus or Kagi?
Consensus: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/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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