BibDesk Alternatives

BibDesk is described as 'Bibliographic reference manager for Mac OS X. BibDesk is designed to help organize and use bibliographic databases in BibTeX .bib format' and is an app in the education & reference category. There are more than 25 alternatives to BibDesk for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Web-based, iPhone and iPad apps. The best BibDesk alternative is Zotero, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like BibDesk are Qiqqa, Mendeley, JabRef and Paperpile.

BibDesk iconBibDesk
  24
  • Free • Open Source
  • ...

BibDesk is a bibliographic reference manager for Mac OS X. BibDesk is designed to help organize and use bibliographic...

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BibDesk alternatives page was last updated Aug 27, 2019
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  1. Zotero icon

    Zotero

     435 likes
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    Zotero is a 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.

    72 Zotero alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Microsoft Word
    • Google Docs
    • LibreOffice
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Zotero screenshot 1

    Top Zotero Features

    1.  Browser integration
    2. LibreOffice icon  LibreOffice Integration
    3. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Microsoft Office integration
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  PDF annotation
    6.  Cloud Sync
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  File Tagging
    9.  Full-Text Search
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Built-in viewer

    Zotero VS BibDesk

     
    Comments about Zotero as an Alternative to BibDesk
    Guest
    Negative •Aug 27, 2019
    0

    Zotero does not sync with Latex natively and it requires a third party software.

    BibDesk Icon
    Zotero icon

    • Zotero is the most popular Windows, Mac, iPhone & Linux alternative to BibDesk.

    • Zotero is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to BibDesk.

    • Zotero is Freemium and Open SourceBibDesk is Free and Open Source
  2. Qiqqa icon

    Qiqqa

     417 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.

    54 Qiqqa alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Qiqqa screenshot 1

    Top Qiqqa Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Bib Tex Sniffer
    3.  Full-Text Search
    4.  Cross-references
    5.  Tagging
    6.  Citations
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Ad-free
    9.  File Tagging
    10. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    11.  Real time collaboration
    12.  Portable

    Qiqqa VS BibDesk

     
  4. Mendeley icon

    Mendeley

     290 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...

    78 Mendeley alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Generate Bibliographies in Word and OpenOffice

    Mendeley Features

    1.  Real time collaboration
    2.  PDF annotation
    3.  PDF support
    4. Microsoft Word icon  Microsoft Word integration
    5.  References
    6.  Bibliography generator
    7. LibreOffice icon  LibreOffice Integration
    8.  Browser integration

    Mendeley VS BibDesk

     

    • Mendeley is the most popular Web-based alternative to BibDesk.

    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryBibDesk is Free and Open Source
  5. JabRef icon

    JabRef

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

    45 JabRef alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    JabRef screenshot 1

    JabRef Features

    1.  Export citation
    2.  Tagging
    3.  Ad-free
    4.  Full-Text Search
    5. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    6.  Works Offline
    7.  Autocompletion
    8.  Browser integration
    9.  Automatic file renaming
    10.  Grouping entries

    JabRef VS BibDesk

     
    Comments about JabRef as an Alternative to BibDesk
    Guest
    Positive •Jul 12, 2017
    1

    portable since in Java, relies only on bib file (no separate database), generates clean bib files (no internal fields)

    Guest
    Positive •May 16, 2018
    1

    Works the best with LaTeX documents, as exporting citations is redundant: JabRef's database is a simple .bib file. Available for all major platforms, offers automatic addition of entries via DOI or arXiv-ID, has everything one needs as a citation and reference manager.

    BibDesk Icon
    JabRef icon

    • Almost everyone thinks JabRef is a great BibDesk alternative.

    • JabRef is Free and Open SourceBibDesk is also Free and Open Source
  6. 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.

    43 Paperpile alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Microsoft Office Word
    • Google Drive
    • Google Drive - Docs
    • Google Scholar
    Paperpile screenshot 1

    Paperpile Features

    1.  Sync with Google Drive

    Paperpile VS BibDesk

     

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

    • Paperpile is the most popular commercial alternative to BibDesk.

    • Paperpile is Paid and ProprietaryBibDesk is Free and Open Source
  7. 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.

    44 EndNote alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    EndNote screenshot 1

    EndNote Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Real time collaboration
    3.  Personal Information Manager (PIM)
    4. Microsoft 365 Copilot icon  Compatible with Microsoft Office

    EndNote VS BibDesk

     
  9. 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

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

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

    ReadCube Papers Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Cloud Sync
    3.  Built-in viewer
    4.  Text to Speech
    5.  Citations
    6.  Book Manager
    7.  Integrated Search

    ReadCube Papers VS BibDesk

     
  10. ZoteroBib icon

    ZoteroBib

     11 likes
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    ZoteroBib is a free service to help people quickly create bibliographies without installing any software or creating an account.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    ZoteroBib screenshot 1

    ZoteroBib Features

    1.  Bibliography generator

    ZoteroBib VS BibDesk

     
  11. EasyBib icon

    EasyBib

     17 likes
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    Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian citation styles. Now supports 7th edition of MLA.

    61 EasyBib alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Drive - Docs
    Homepage

    EasyBib Features

    1.  Bibliography generator
    2.  Citations
    3.  Browser integration
    4.  References

    EasyBib VS BibDesk

     
  12. wizdom.ai icon

    wizdom.ai

     23 likes
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    wizdom.ai (formerly colwiz) is a free and comprehensive research management software for researchers, academics and students. With the wizdom.ai android app, you can search, add and manage publications in your wizdom.ai library on the go. Sync instantly across wizdom.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    wizdom.ai screenshot 1
    wizdom.ai screenshot 2
    wizdom.ai screenshot 3

    wizdom.ai Features

    1. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    2.  Citations
    3.  Bibliography generator

    wizdom.ai VS BibDesk

     
  13. Weava icon

    Weava

     15 likes
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    Weava is a collaborative workplace for research offering an easy way to highlight, organize and collaborate on your research articles.

    51 Weava alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • HK flagHong Kong SAR China

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Google Chrome
    Weava screenshot 1

    Weava Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  iOS widget
    3.  Text Highlighting
    4.  Citations
    5.  Bibliography generator

    Weava VS BibDesk

     
  14. DeepDyve icon

    DeepDyve

     5 likes
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    DeepDyve provides simple and affordable access to millions of articles across thousands of peer-reviewed journals. Content from the world's leading publishers including Reed Elsevier, Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, and more.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Internet Explorer
    • Google Chrome
    • Firefox

    DeepDyve Features

    1.  PDF annotation
    2.  Full-Text Search
    3.  File preview
    4.  Export citation
    5.  Reading list

    DeepDyve VS BibDesk

     
12 of 32 BibDesk alternatives