Two research & learning tools, one decision. Here is the honest split.
| Consensus | Perplexity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Best at | Quick evidence checks: does science support this claim or not? | Questions where you need current information with links you can verify. |
| In short | A search engine over academic papers that answers yes/no/maybe questions with the weight of evidence. | An answer engine that searches the web and cites its sources for every claim. |
| On Atlas | 3 starter prompts | 3 starter prompts |
Pick Consensus when the job is Quick evidence checks: does science support this claim or not?. Pick Perplexity when the job is Questions where you need current information with links you can verify.. Still torn? Run one real task through both free tiers. An hour of testing beats a week of reviews.
Summarize the strongest evidence for and against [claim]. Cite primary sources only, rate the strength of the evidence, and end with what is still unknown.