Side-by-side comparison · Research & Search
Consensus vs NotebookLM vs Exa
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.
NotebookLM
4.5Pick it if: Anyone who needs to understand or explain a set of documents they don't have time to read properly.
Exa
4.0Pick it if: People using Claude Code or building their own assistants who want real web search behind them.
Overview
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Searches academic papers and tells you what the evidence actually says. | Upload your own documents and ask questions that only draw on those sources. | A search engine built for AI tools, so Claude can find exactly the pages it needs. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $4.99/mo | From $4 per 1 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.1 | 4.5Winner | 4.0 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | – | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | – | Yes | No |
| API access | 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 | – | Yes | No |
| Understands images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | Yes | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | No | No | No |
| Works in many languages | – | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 5/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 7/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Occasional fact-checking. | FreeOur pick Free Almost everyone. Try this before paying for anything. | FreeOur pick Free Personal use inside Claude Code. |
ProOur pick $20/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Anyone who checks evidence weekly. | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo People who hit the free limits now and then. | Pay as you go From $4 per 1,000 searches Anyone whose usage outgrows the free credit. | |
Deep $65/mo, or $45/mo billed yearly Researchers and clinicians doing frequent literature reviews. | Google AI Pro $19.99/mo Heavy users who also want Gemini Pro and Deep Research. | Enterprise Custom Companies building products on top of it. | |
Teams Custom Labs, departments and research groups. | Google AI Ultra From $99.99/mo Power users who want the top of everything Google offers. | ||
| 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. | Stay on Free until it stops you doing something. If that happens, Google AI Pro is the sensible step because it also upgrades Gemini and Deep Research, which you will probably want anyway. AI Plus is a cheap middle step if NotebookLM is all you care about. | 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. |
Key features
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Consensus | NotebookLM | Exa |
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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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