Best EndNote Alternatives

EndNote is used for reference management and bibliography creation available for Windows, the web, and on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. As it is paid software, many users will understandably be looking for free and open source alternatives to EndNote. There are plenty of alternatives available on the Google Play Store, macOS, and Linux as well.

Many alternatives to EndNote feature more robust features and functionality, including the ability to annotate PDFs and support for real time collaboration.

EndNote alternatives are mainly Research Managers but may also be Document Managers or Note-taking Tools. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of EndNote.

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EndNote

Paid • Proprietary
Research Manager

Mac
Windows
Online
iPhone
iPad

A reference management software, used for searching online publication databases, & managing publications /...

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Zotero
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Research Manager
Document Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
iPad
Microsoft Edge
Google Chrome
Safari
Microsoft Office Word
Google Drive - Docs
LibreOffice
Firefox
70 alternatives to Zotero
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.
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Zotero Features
1. Ad-freeZotero doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
2. PDF annotationZotero support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
3. Cloud SyncSync your data (notes, documents, bookmarks, etc.) across your different devices and to the cloud.
4. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsZotero can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
5. Support for MarkDownZotero supports MarkDown for document formatting.
6. Privacy focusedZotero is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
7. Full-Text SearchZotero lets you search for specific words or phrases from inside a document or database.
8. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in Zotero simultaneously.
9. File TaggingZotero can organize and highlight your files with tags and labels.
Browser integration
LibreOffice Integration
Microsoft Office integration
Knowledge Management
Export to LaTeX
Cross-references
Library Management
WebDAV Support
Google docs integration
Compatible with Microsoft Office
Zotero vs EndNote opinions
Almost everyone thinks Zotero is a great alternative to EndNote.
Guest
Consistent research sources management. No hidden fees. Nice UI.
Positive comment•
8

JohnFastman
Probably the best open source alternative to Endnote, even though it does lack some functionality. Most notably, it lacks the ability to make composite references (ie reference 1 a)... b)... c...). However, from a privacy perspective and the fact that its excellent browser plugins can save information conveniently, it's still highly recommended.
Positive comment•
-1
Mendeley
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Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Document Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
73 alternatives to Mendeley
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...
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Mendeley Features
1. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in Mendeley simultaneously.
2. PDF annotationMendeley support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
PDF support
Word integration
References
Bibliography generator
LibreOffice Integration
Browser integration
Microsoft Office integration
Mendeley vs EndNote opinions
Most users think Mendeley is a great alternative to EndNote.
Guest
Large free online storage. Integrates well with Word. Easy to use. Regular email of like-minded articles.
Positive comment•
4
Qiqqa
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Research Manager
Document Manager
Windows
53 alternatives to Qiqqa
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.
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Qiqqa Features
1. PDF annotationQiqqa support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. Full-Text SearchQiqqa lets you search for specific words or phrases from inside a document or database.
3. File TaggingQiqqa can organize and highlight your files with tags and labels.
4. Support for LaTeXQiqqa supports LaTeX for text and math equation formatting.
5. PortableQiqqa can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
6. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in Qiqqa simultaneously.
Bib Tex Sniffer
Cross-references
Tagging
Citations
Annotation report
Brainstorming
Text Highlighting
PDF OCR
Autotagging
Topic tags
Qiqqa vs EndNote opinions
Most users think Qiqqa is a great alternative to EndNote.
Guest
Much more powerful and flexible
Positive comment•
-1
JabRef
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Research Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Firefox
Google Chrome
Vivaldi Browser
Microsoft Edge
40 alternatives to JabRef
Bibliography reference manager. The native file format used by JabRef is BibTeX, the standard LaTeX bibliography format.
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JabRef Features
1. Full-Text SearchJabRef lets you search for specific words or phrases from inside a document or database.
2. Support for LaTeXJabRef supports LaTeX for text and math equation formatting.
3. AutocompletionJabRef can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
Export citation
Browser integration
Tagging
Grouping entries
Automatic file renaming
JabRef vs EndNote opinions
JohnFastman
JabRef is excellent, free and open source. Unfortunately, EndNote is likely to be attractive to those seeking integration with MS Word; JabRef does not do this as it is oriented more towards LaTeX users. There is a work around to this, but it is tedious (based on exporting the bibliography as a Sources.xml file and importing that to Word.)
Negative comment•
-1
Citavi
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Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Windows
35 alternatives to Citavi
A handy, intuitive reference-managing tool. Citavi researches in over 4800 databases and catalogs, organizes and structures your literature, references, quotes and idea collections and assists you with your documentation or publication.
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Citavi Features
PDF Preview
Information gathering
Book Manager
Knowledge base
Intuitive Nodes
Knowledge Management
ReadCube Papers
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Research Manager
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Google Chrome
Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari
40 alternatives to ReadCube Papers
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.
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ReadCube Papers Features
1. PDF annotationReadCube Papers support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. Cloud SyncSync your data (notes, documents, bookmarks, etc.) across your different devices and to the cloud.
3. Built-in viewerReadCube Papers shows you a quick preview of an image, page or file in supported formats.
4. Text to SpeechReadCube Papers allows you to transform written text into spoken text.
Citations
Book Manager
Integrated Search
ReadCube Papers vs EndNote opinions
Paperpile
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Research Manager
Document Manager
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Google Chrome
Microsoft Office Word
Google Drive
Google Drive - Docs
Google Scholar
38 alternatives to Paperpile
Organize your research papers in a Gmail-like web app, sync your PDFs to Google Drive and cite your references in Google Docs.
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Paperpile Features
Sync with Google Drive
Zenreader
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Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Note-taking Tool
Mac
Windows
21 alternatives to Zenreader
Zenreader is a desktop app to take notes, organise your knowledge and produce great work in no time. It is a powerful productivity tool that includes tagging, reference management and keeping track of your progress.
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Zenreader Features
1. PDF annotationZenreader support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. OCRExtract the text from a screen capture or file and paste it into another document for edits.
Text Highlighting
Document Repository
PDF OCR
Tagging
Document Annotations
Offline Reading
wizdom.ai
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
36 alternatives to wizdom.ai
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.
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wizdom.ai Features
1. Support for LaTeXwizdom.ai supports LaTeX for text and math equation formatting.
Citations
Bibliography generator
Weava
Do you think this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Online
Google Chrome
47 alternatives to Weava
Weava is a collaborative workplace for research offering an easy way to highlight, organize and collaborate on your research articles.
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Weava Features
1. PDF annotationWeava support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
iOS widget
Text Highlighting
Citations
Bibliography generator