# Consensus vs GPT-Researcher

**Leader by Vioscale score:** GPT-Researcher

| Attribute | Consensus | GPT-Researcher |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 48 (36% (low)) | 60.6 (35% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 29 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 29,157 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Consensus helps researchers, clinicians, and students quickly find answers by searching through 220+ million peer-reviewed studies and using AI to synthesize findings with linked citations. Users can verify sources themselves by examining the original research, methodology, and study conclusions. | GPT Researcher automates the research process by planning subtopics, sourcing and validating documents, and generating organized reports with citations. It supports multiple export formats and can work with web sources, local documents, or a combination of both. |
| features.capabilities | `{"architecture_model":"managed_saas_application","recursive_multi_step_iterative_searching":true,"strict_inline_citation_generation_with_links":true,"export_to_word_pdf_markdown_with_bibliography":true,"academic_verified_journal_database_querying_only":true,"anti_hallucination_grounding_and_fact_checking_layer":true}` | `{"soc2_type_ii":false,"pricing_model":"free_open_source","architecture_model":"open_source_framework","bring_your_own_key_byok_api_support":true,"mit_or_apache_permissive_oss_license":true,"recursive_multi_step_iterative_searching":true,"multi_agent_expert_persona_debates_internal":false,"strict_inline_citation_generation_with_links":true,"export_to_word_pdf_markdown_with_bibliography":true,"academic_verified_journal_database_querying_only":false,"anti_hallucination_grounding_and_fact_checking_layer":true,"unstructured_pdf_upload_and_cross_document_synthesis":true,"tabular_data_extraction_and_literature_matrix_generation":false}` |
| integrations.count | 5 | 12 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Zotero"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"ChatGPT"},{"name":"Mendeley"},{"name":"EndNote"}]` | `[{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Anthropic"},{"name":"Google"},{"name":"DeepSeek"},{"name":"Meta"},{"name":"Tavily"},{"name":"Microsoft"},{"name":"DuckDuckGo"},{"name":"SearXNG"},{"name":"LangChain"},{"name":"LangSmith"},{"name":"GitHub"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Python |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","features":["Search peer-reviewed research","AI-powered synthesis","Citation linking"],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Paid","description":"Premium plan with additional features","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"Consensus API"}],"summary":"Free tier available. Paid plans available. API pricing from $0.10 per call plus platform fee.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://consensus.app","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T10:59:42.425Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source. Self-hosted. Pay only for underlying LLM and search API providers.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://gptr.dev/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T10:59:52.183Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 24 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.6.1","date":"2026-08-24T06:58:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.6.0","date":"2026-07-18T07:56:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.5.1","date":"2026-06-23T18:08:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.5.0","date":"2026-05-28T07:24:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.4.4","date":"2026-04-16T17:40:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.4.3","date":"2026-03-13T14:06:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.4.2","date":"2026-03-01T14:20:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.4.1","date":"2026-02-21T07:19:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.4.0","date":"2026-01-29T11:56:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.3.9","date":"2026-01-25T06:41:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.8","date":"2025-12-14T08:08:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.7","date":"2025-11-07T14:10:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.6","date":"2025-10-07T14:44:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.5","date":"2025-09-23T07:52:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.4","date":"2025-09-17T11:12:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.3","date":"2025-08-08T05:03:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.2","date":"2025-07-19T07:20:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v.3.3.1","date":"2025-07-04T08:51:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v.3.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.3.0","date":"2025-06-08T17:45:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/assafelovic/gpt-researcher/releases/tag/v3.2.9","date":"2025-06-01T15:33:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.2.9"}]` |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=gpt-researcher&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (AI Research Agents)

| Capability | Consensus | GPT-Researcher |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Architecture model | Managed saas application | Open source framework |
| Recursive multi step iterative searching | ✓ | ✓ |
| Strict inline citation generation with links | ✓ | ✓ |
| Academic verified journal database querying only | ✓ | ✗ |
| Unstructured PDF upload and cross document synthesis | - | ✓ |
| Tabular data extraction and literature matrix generation | - | ✗ |
| Anti hallucination grounding and fact checking layer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi agent expert persona debates internal | - | ✗ |
| Export to word PDF markdown with bibliography | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bring your own key byok API support | - | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | ✗ |
| Mit or apache permissive oss license | - | ✓ |
| Pricing model | - | Free open source |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:30:51.728Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*