Research · Head-to-head
Consensus vs Fugu-Cyber
Consensus (freemium, AI Score 8.7/10) vs Fugu-Cyber (paid, AI Score 8.2/10). Side-by-side pricing, features, pros and cons, and which to pick.
The verdict
Pick Consensus if…
- →you need a genuinely free option
- →budget is the constraint
- →overall capability matters more than price (AI Score 8.7 vs 8.2)
- →you want our editor's pick for this category
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Consensus | Fugu-Cyber |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Pricing model | freemium | paid |
| Headline pricing | Free tier + Premium from $8.99/mo | Token plan only: $6–$12/M input, $36–$54/M output (application required, no free tier) |
| Free tier | 20 AI-powered searches per month with basic features | — |
| AI Score | 8.7/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Best for | — | — |
| Editor's pick | ✓ Yes | — |
| Use cases | — | — |
| Date added | 2026-05-01 | 2026-07-21 |
Pros and cons
Consensus
Research · freemium
Pros
- ✓Consensus Meter gives instant visual evidence breakdown — unique among academic search tools
- ✓250M+ paper database with strong coverage across sciences and social sciences
- ✓Answers are always grounded in peer-reviewed literature with full citations
- ✓Study snapshots extract methodology and sample size so you can assess quality fast
Cons
- ×Free tier is restrictive at 20 AI searches — you'll hit the limit quickly during a literature review
- ×Coverage is weaker outside STEM and social sciences — humanities and legal research fall short
- ×Cannot upload or analyze your own documents like NotebookLM or Elicit
- ×Consensus Meter can oversimplify nuanced topics where study quality varies widely
Fugu-Cyber
Research · paid
Pros
- ✓Specialized for cybersecurity rather than a general model used off-label
- ✓Claimed SOTA on real-world benchmarks (CyberGym, CTI-REALM), not just synthetic tests
- ✓Orchestration design targets multi-step agentic security workflows
- ✓Application-gated rollout is a reasonable posture for offensive-security capability
Cons
- ×Access is gated behind application approval with no free tier or public playground
- ×Performance claims come almost entirely from Sakana's own release — little independent verification yet
- ×Output pricing is steep and scales higher for large-context requests
- ×Narrow specialization: not useful outside security work
FAQ
Is Consensus better than Fugu-Cyber? ▾
Consensus scores 8.7/10 in our evaluation versus Fugu-Cyber at 8.2/10. Consensus edges ahead overall, but "better" depends on your use case — see the verdict block above.
Does Consensus or Fugu-Cyber have a free tier? ▾
Consensus has a free tier (20 AI-powered searches per month with basic features). Fugu-Cyber is paid.
Should I choose Consensus or Fugu-Cyber in 2026? ▾
If you need a genuinely free option pick Consensus. If fugu-Cyber's overall approach fits you better pick Fugu-Cyber. Both are credible — neither is a wrong choice.
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Updated 2026-07-21. Spec data sourced from official product pages and tracked in our public directory at /tools.