Consensus vs SciSpace
Both are AI research tools, but they do different jobs. Consensus is a focused evidence search engine for answering a question; SciSpace is a broad workbench for reading, understanding, and writing about papers.
Consensus
Consensus pulls evidence-based answers directly from peer-reviewed research across 200M+ papers, surfacing study type, sample size, and citations inline. Its signature Consensus Meter aggregates findings across studies to show how much of the literature supports an answer. It has a genuinely usable free tier and the cheapest paid plan of the research tools (around $8.99/mo). It is best for empirical "what does the research say?" questions and weaker on exploratory or theoretical topics.
Best for: clinicians, evidence-minded professionals, and anyone wanting a fast, cited answer to a specific question.
SciSpace
SciSpace is an all-in-one platform built around a chat-with-PDF assistant that explains dense passages inline — strong for non-experts — plus literature review, data-extraction tables, an AI writer, and citations, over a 270M+ paper index. The breadth means individual tools can feel shallower than specialists, and credit limits bite on cheaper tiers. There is a free tier; Premium is around $12/mo billed annually.
Best for: students and early-career researchers who want to understand papers fast and do light writing in one place.
Which should you choose?
Pick Consensus when you need a quick, cited answer to a specific question (and it is cheaper). Pick SciSpace when you are working through papers and drafting. They complement each other well.
SciSpace prices are rendered client-side on their site — verify the current figure before relying on it.