The Best Zotero AlternativesTop Research Managers and other similar apps like Zotero

Zotero is described as 'Free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, share research and cite your research sources directly in your favourite word processor, with 300 MB free online storage' and is a very popular research manager in the news & books category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Zotero for a variety of platforms, including Web-based, Mac, Windows, Linux and iPhone apps. The best Zotero alternative is Mendeley, which is free. Other great apps like Zotero are Qiqqa, JabRef, EndNote and Paperwork.

filter to find the best alternatives

Zotero alternatives are mainly Research Managers, but if you're looking for Document Managers or Academic Research Tools you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Mac, Research Manager and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Zotero.
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Alternatives list

  1. Mendeley icon

    Mendeley

     293 likes
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    Mendeley helps manage and share academic knowledge: Mendeley Desktop is free academic software (Windows, Mac, Linux) for organizing and sharing research papers and generating bibliographies with 1GB of free online storage to automatically back up and synchronize your library...

    81 Mendeley alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Generate Bibliographies in Word and OpenOffice
     
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    45
    Comments about Mendeley as an Alternative to Zotero
    John Fastman
    Positive
    26

    Mendeley differs from Zotero like this: 1) It is not open source, but it's still free (as in beer); 2) it has better features for annotating pdf files; 3) It emphasizes connections between academics working in similar areas, which helps in discovery of references. Zotero doesn't do that. However, Zotero is better at extracting meta data from pdf files and has the superior browser plugin.

    Nick Scientist
    Positive
    2

    Mendeley is not open-source. After the migration to the Mendeley Reference Manager which has been a disaster in performance for the desktop apps, exhibit buggy behavior, are much more taxing to computers. Web plugin much better in Zotero too.

    Zotero Icon
    Mendeley icon

    • Most users think Mendeley is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Mendeley is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Zotero.

    • Mendeley is the most popular free alternative to Zotero.

    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  2. Qiqqa icon

    Qiqqa

     422 likes
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    Qiqqa is a free research and reference manager. Search for, read and annotate your PDFs. Then review your work, write up and create bibliographies instantly.

    60 Qiqqa alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Qiqqa screenshot 1
     
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    23
    Comments about Qiqqa as an Alternative to Zotero
    phytographer
    Negative
    3

    Qiqqa does not have:

    1. Chrome connector for gathering citations
    2. Google Docs integration
    3. LibreOffice Integration
    Alternative User929
    Negative
    0

    Not like Zotero or Mendeley.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    They both manage PDFs and allow you to do reference management and bilbiographies.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
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    3 of 4 comments
    Zotero Icon
    Qiqqa icon

    • Most users think Qiqqa is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Qiqqa is the most popular Open Source alternative to Zotero.

    • Qiqqa is Freemium and Open SourceZotero is also Freemium and Open Source
  4. JabRef icon

    JabRef

     103 likes
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    Bibliography reference manager. The native file format used by JabRef is BibTeX, the standard LaTeX bibliography format.

    48 JabRef alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    JabRef screenshot 1
     
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    15
    Comments about JabRef as an Alternative to Zotero
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Open source, clean, robust. Works best with BibTex/Latex environment.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Screen clear with all important informations easily readible. Avoid import of existing records and efficient merge compared to zotero !!! So no duplicate. We can create many librairies and we are not limited to one big with every records in, so quicker when you have a lot of references.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    JabRef icon

    • Almost everyone thinks JabRef is a great Zotero alternative.

    • JabRef is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
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    AnswerThis

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  6. EndNote icon

    EndNote

     44 likes
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    A reference management software, used for searching online publication databases, & managing publications / bibliographies, with the ability to insert the references into a word processor.

    46 EndNote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    EndNote screenshot 1
     
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    6
    Comments about EndNote as an Alternative to Zotero
    John Fastman
    Positive
    6

    Unfortunately, in terms of sheer functionality and completeness as a reference manager, EndNote is probably the best. Unfortunately, because it's very expensive, it's not open source and it doesn't work on Linux. But the level of customization over citation styles, and the integration with MS Word make it a default for many. In my estimation, 90%+ of researchers would find enough in Zotero not to have to pay for End Note.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    this is the program that the journals ask to make references using it

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    EndNote icon

    • Most users think EndNote is a great Zotero alternative.

    • EndNote is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Zotero.

    • EndNote is the most popular commercial alternative to Zotero.

    • EndNote is Paid and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  7. Paperwork icon

    Paperwork

     41 likes
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    Paperwork is a personal document manager for scanned documents (and PDFs).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Paperwork screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Paperwork as an Alternative to Zotero
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Paperwork is for personal documents, Zotero is for research

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    Paperwork icon
    • Paperwork is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  10. Paperpile icon

    Paperpile

     57 likes
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    Organize your research papers in a Gmail-like web app, sync your PDFs to Google Drive and cite your references in Google Docs.

    45 Paperpile alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Microsoft Office Word
    • Google Drive
    • Google Drive - Docs
    • Google Scholar
    Paperpile screenshot 1
     
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    1
    7
    Comments about Paperpile as an Alternative to Zotero
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is an amazing software and has many great features when compared to Zotero

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    Paperpile icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Paperpile is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Paperpile is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Zotero.

    • Paperpile is Paid and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  11. Citavi icon

    Citavi

     52 likes
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    Reference management and knowledge organization with integrated task planner. Solution for work groups with data sharing in intranet available.

    39 Citavi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Simple Navigation on the left, the editing pane in the middle, preview on the right (for PDF and text documents, images, Web pages, etc.). All You Need You can add ratings, quotations, comments, thoughts, tasks, locations, and links to other references and files. Citavi is your complete toolbox for academic writing.
     
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    6
    Comments about Citavi as an Alternative to Zotero
    altenativeto
    Negative
    0

    It is sadly unstable software. It has of course more professional functions than zotero but also problems with stability. For Example: when I had my computer in standby, I have to restart the software.

    Zotero Icon
    Citavi icon

    • Most users think Citavi is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Citavi is Freemium and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  12. WizNote icon

    WizNote

     82 likes
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    WizNote is a Note software, which is especially designed for Internet users and mobile Internet users. WizNote focuses more on notes of rapid collection, management, reading and sharing. WizNote is smaller, more stable, and more suitable for computers, phones and mobile devices.

    250 WizNote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    WizNote screenshot 1
     
  13. ReadCube Papers icon

    ReadCube Papers

     71 likes
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    Papers helps you collect and curate the research material that you're passionate about. This award-winning reference manager will improve the way you find, organize, read, cite, and share.

    42 ReadCube Papers alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Firefox
    ReadCube Papers screenshot 1
     
  14. DocsBoard icon

    DocsBoard

     6 likes
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    Solve your documentation problems with a single platform that integrates all document formats, enhances collaboration, and maintains real-time updates.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    DocsBoard screenshot 1
     

    • DocsBoard is the most popular SaaS alternative to Zotero.

    • DocsBoard is Free and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  15. MyBib icon

    MyBib

     16 likes
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    A new FREE citation generator. Automatically create bibliographies, references, and citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and over 8000 more styles with a totally free and no-ads citation generator.

    19 MyBib alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Google Chrome
    MyBib screenshot 1
     
12 of 78 Zotero alternatives