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Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search

Consensus vs Kagi vs Wokelo

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Consensus

4.3

From $20/mo

Kagi

4.3

From $5/mo

Wokelo

3.8

Free to start

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best value

Pick it if: Anyone who wants to know whether something is backed by actual studies before repeating it.

Kagi4.3

Pick it if: People who search all day for work and are tired of ads and spammy results.

Pick it if: Private equity, venture, investment banking, consulting and corporate development teams that research companies and markets every week.

Overview

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
In one lineSearches academic papers and tells you what the evidence actually says.A paid search engine with no ads or tracking, plus an AI assistant that cites sources.AI research agents that write company, market and due diligence reports for dealmakers.
Pricing modelFreemiumPaidPaid
Starting price$20/mo$5/moSee website
Free plan Yes No No
Works with Claude Code No Yes Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Overall rating4.34.33.8
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.5
4.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
3.5
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Access & platform
Free plan Yes No No
Mobile app– Yes–
Desktop app No No–
Browser extension– Yes–
API access Yes Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes No Yes
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–
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No Yes No
Runs agents or automations No No Yes
Learns your brand or style No––
Works in many languages– Yes–
Capabilities score5/ 179/ 176/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional fact-checking.

Trial

Free

Seeing the difference.

EnterpriseOur pick

Custom

Investment, consulting and corporate strategy teams.

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 pickStart 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%.There is only a sales-led contract. Ask for a trial on a live deal or project before you sign, and check which premium data sources are included at your price.

Key features

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Standout features
  • Consensus Meter
  • Pro messages
  • Deep reviews
  • Study Snapshots
  • Quality filters
  • API and MCP
  • Ad-free results
  • Personalised ranking
  • Lenses
  • Kagi Assistant
  • Summaries
  • API and MCP
  • Research reports
  • Premium data
  • Agent builder and marketplace
  • Slides and Q&A
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Pros
  • Consensus Meter gives an honest read on mixed evidence in seconds
  • Every summary links to the actual paper
  • Free plan is enough for occasional checks
  • Pro is cheap when billed yearly
  • Quality filters help you ignore weak studies
  • No ads, sponsored results or tracking
  • You control which sites show up and where
  • AI assistant with a choice of top models
  • Fair pricing: unused months are credited back
  • Cited reports that hold up better to checking than a general chatbot's
  • Premium private-market data built in
  • Builds PowerPoint slides from the research
  • Custom agents that follow your firm's process
  • Strong security and hosting options
Cons
  • Only covers academic research; no business or news sources
  • Can make thin or old evidence look more settled than it is
  • Monthly billing on Pro is nearly double the yearly rate
  • Deep review limits are low until you pay for the Deep plan
  • It costs money, and Starter's 300 searches run out fast
  • Top AI models only on the $25 Ultimate plan
  • Local results like maps and shops are weaker than Google's
  • API and MCP use is billed separately from the search plans
  • Expensive and sales-led, with no self-serve plan
  • Few independent reviews to judge it on
  • Thinner data on small private companies
  • Overkill for occasional market questions

Who each one is for

AttributeConsensusKagiWokelo
Best for
  • Fact-checking health claims
  • Finding studies on a topic
  • Evidence for a blog or pitch
  • Student literature reviews
  • Everyday search without ads or tracking
  • Research where you want trustworthy sources
  • Hiding spammy or low-quality sites for good
  • Trying several AI models in one assistant
  • First-pass due diligence on a target
  • Industry and market landscapes
  • Screening and sourcing acquisition targets
  • Competitor and peer comparisons
  • Drafting investment memos and client decks
You'll find it used by
  • Health and wellness brands
  • Content marketers
  • Students
  • Clinicians
  • Researchers
  • Developers
  • Writers
  • Privacy-minded professionals
  • Private equity firms
  • Venture capital firms
  • Investment banks
  • Management consultants
  • Corporate development teams

Questions people ask

Which is better, Consensus, Kagi or Wokelo?

They tie on our overall rating (Consensus 4.3/5, Kagi 4.3/5 and Wokelo 3.8/5). 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. Wokelo is best for first-pass due diligence on a target and industry and market landscapes.

Which is cheaper, Consensus, Kagi or Wokelo?

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. Wokelo: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote.

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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