Consensus vs NotebookLM
Side-by-side on price, features and best fit — plus a quick verdict.
| Consensus | NotebookLM | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $9/mo | Free |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Category | AI Search & Research | AI Search & Research |
| Best for | academic research, evidence checking, literature review | studying, document research, synthesising sources |
Consensus
AI search engine for scientific research papers.
$9/mo
Free tier available
- Searches research papers
- Evidence-based answers
- Citations
- Consensus meter
NotebookLM
Google's AI notebook that reasons over your own documents.
Free
Free tier available
- Grounded in your sources
- Audio overviews
- Citations to your docs
- Summaries
Verdict
Choose Consensus if you want academic research; pick NotebookLM for studying. Both are worth a quick trial before committing.