Brandwave

Consensus vs Perplexity:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Perplexity had more branded searches than Consensus among AI research assistants worldwide. Perplexity had about 13.4 million branded searches, while Consensus had 1.6 million. Perplexity made up 33.4% of all AI research assistant searches we track, and Consensus accounted for 3.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI research assistants, Consensus appeared in four of the five answers and Perplexity in three. Perplexity was mentioned before Consensus in three out of four answers that named either.

Among AI research assistants worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Perplexity, about 9 searches for every 1 for Consensus

Perplexity 13.4M searchesConsensus 1.6M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Consensus, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Perplexity in 3

Consensus in 4 of 5Perplexity in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Perplexity, named ahead of Consensus in 3 of 4 answers

Perplexity first in 3Consensus first in 1

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Top AI research assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Consensus was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Perplexity was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Perplexity was listed before Consensus in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Elicit1st
  2. Perplexity2nd
  3. NotebookLM3rd
  4. Consensus4th
  5. Scite5th
  6. Semantic Scholar6th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Elicit5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NotebookLM4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Consensus4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Perplexity3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Scite3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Semantic Scholar1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI research assistants

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Consensus or Perplexity more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Consensus and Perplexity by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six AI research assistants we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Consensus and Perplexity among AI research assistants worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Perplexity, Consensus. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNotebookLMPerplexityConsensusElicitSemantic ScholarScite
Oct 202523%73%2.2%1.1%0.58%0.12%
Nov 202530.6%65.1%2.6%0.99%0.54%0.13%
Dec 202542.1%53.8%2.5%0.95%0.52%0.13%
Jan 202649.7%45.8%2.8%1.1%0.5%0.12%
Feb 202649.9%45.6%2.6%1.1%0.62%0.12%
Mar 202653.3%41.8%2.8%1.2%0.8%0.11%
Apr 202658.3%37.1%2.8%1.1%0.59%0.1%
May 202662.7%32.7%3%0.94%0.52%0.08%
Jun 202662.6%32.7%3.3%0.94%0.42%0.08%
Jul 202660.3%34.6%3.2%1.1%0.63%0.08%
Aug 202660.8%33.7%3.6%1.1%0.61%0.1%
Sep 202660.8%33.4%3.8%1.1%0.75%0.12%

How has the Consensus and Perplexity comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Perplexity was ahead of Consensus in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Consensus’ share of searches among AI research assistants worldwide moved from 2.2% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1M to 1.6M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Perplexity’s share of searches among AI research assistants worldwide moved from 73% to 33.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 37.7M to 13.4M.

How did search popularity change for AI research assistants worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Consensus worldwide rose 37.9% over 12 measured months, from 1.1M to 1.6M in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Perplexity worldwide fell 64.4% over 12 measured months, from 37.7M to 13.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

18 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Consensus’ and Perplexity’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Consensus

2 branded search terms

  • consensus
  • consensus ai

Perplexity

16 branded search terms

  • comet browser
  • comet perplexity
  • perplexity
  • perplexity ai
  • perplexity ai app
  • perplexity ai search
  • perplexity app
  • perplexity browser
  • perplexity comet
  • perplexity finance
  • perplexity ia
  • perplexity labs
  • perplexity max
  • perplexity pro
  • perplexity search
  • perplexity.ai

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among AI research assistants

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