Quick Answer
Last verified:

Consensus pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $45 per user/month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: No free tier available
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training
Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 2 pricing pages and reviews
+40-60% above list price

Hidden Costs Breakdown

1

Annual billing required for best pricing: Premium drops from $11.99 to $8.99/month only with annual commitment ($107.88 upfront) -- monthly billing costs 33% more and no refunds on annual plans after 30 days

2

Student discount requires academic email verification: 40% discount brings Premium to $5.39/month annual, but requires ongoing .edu email verification -- losing student status reverts to full price immediately

3

Team plan minimum of 2 seats: Even solo researchers managing team accounts must pay for at least 2 seats ($20/month annual, $25.98/month monthly) -- cannot access team features with a single user

4

API access not yet available: Team and Enterprise plans advertise Consensus Search API access, but it is listed as 'coming soon' -- teams paying for API capabilities cannot use them yet

5

Export limitations on free tier: Free plan limits bookmarks and custom lists, restricting ability to organize and export large literature reviews -- researchers needing to export citation lists for manuscripts must upgrade to Premium

6

Data privacy only on Enterprise: Researchers at institutions with strict data governance (HIPAA, GDPR compliance) must negotiate Enterprise contracts -- Premium and Team plans do not guarantee institutional data privacy policies

Example: True Cost for 25 Users

License (25 × $10 × 12) $3,000/yr
Implementation (one-time) +$15,000–$50,000
Premium Support (20%) +$600/yr
Training (25 × $500) +$12,500
Admin (part-time) +$15,000–$25,000/yr
Year 1 Total $29,500–$64,800
That's 1.8–2.5× the advertised license price.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What hidden costs should I budget for with Consensus?

Beyond the license fee, budget for implementation ($5K-$100K+), training ($500-$2K per user), premium support (15-20% of license), and admin costs. Most companies see 40-60% higher total cost than the listed price.

02 Does Consensus charge for implementation?

Consensus doesn't include implementation in the license cost. Implementation is typically done by partners and costs range from $5,000 for basic setup to $100,000+ for enterprise deployments with customization.

03 How much does Consensus support cost?

Basic support is included, but premium support (faster response times, 24/7 availability) typically adds 15-20% to your annual contract. This can be thousands of dollars per year for larger deployments.

04 Are there storage costs with Consensus?

Most Consensus plans include limited storage. Once you exceed the included amount, you'll pay overage fees which can range from $50-$500+ per month depending on data volume.

05 What add-ons cost extra with Consensus?

Many features marketed as part of Consensus are actually add-ons: advanced reporting, API access, integrations, and specialized modules. Each can add $10-$100+ per user per month.

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