Consensus vs You.com — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Consensus and You.com both start at $20/mo on their entry tier.
AI research assistant for scientific literature — answers questions with citations from 200M+ academic papers. Pricing: Free (unlimited basic search), Premium $8.99/mo (Consensus Meter, GPT-4 summaries), Enterprise custom. Popular with academics, medical professionals, and researchers who need evidence-backed answers.
AI search engine and productivity assistant. Pricing: Free (basic AI search), Pro $20/mo (advanced AI models + higher usage), Team $30/user/mo (shared workspaces), Enterprise custom. Positioned as a Perplexity competitor with more emphasis on developer-friendly AI tools (Genius mode, code generation). Founded by Richard Socher.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Consensus monthly | Consensus annual | You.com monthly | You.com annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | Pro | $20 | $12 | $20 | $15 |
| Pro / power | Deep / Max | $65 | $45 | $200 | $200 |
| Enterprise | Team / Enterprise / — | Custom | Custom | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Consensus is worth it if… researchers, medical professionals, and analysts who need answers grounded in peer-reviewed literature with citations — not a general web AI. 99/mo is one of the cheapest AI research tools in market.
You.com is worth it if… com is worth it for individuals and small teams that want an AI search assistant with developer-friendly features (code, math, research modes) that Perplexity handles less specifically. Pro at $20/mo is priced identically to Perplexity Pro.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Consensus over You.com if…
Choose Consensus if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $20/mo).
- You match the profile Consensus is built for: researchers, medical professionals, and analysts who need answers grounded in peer-reviewed literature with citations — not a general web AI.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose You.com if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $20/mo).
- You match the profile You.com is built for: You.
- You need a general-purpose productivity option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Consensus | You.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | $20/mo | $20/mo |
| Enterprise available | Yes | No |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | Per Seat |
| Last verified | September 20, 2026 | September 20, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 20, 2026. Tracked daily.