EndNote AlternativesOnly Free apps categorised as Research Managers

The best free Research Manager alternative to EndNote is Zotero, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to EndNote and nine of them are free Research Managers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free Research Manager alternatives to EndNote are Mendeley, Qiqqa, JabRef and Citavi.

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Alternatives list

  1. Zotero icon

    Zotero

     479 likes

    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.

    79 Zotero alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Microsoft Word
    • Google Docs
    • LibreOffice
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Zotero screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Zotero as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive
    8

    Consistent research sources management. No hidden fees. Nice UI.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    John Fastman
    Positive
    -1

    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.

    Zotero icon
    Zotero icon
    • Zotero is Freemium and Open SourceEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
    • Zotero is Privacy focusedEndNote is not according to our users
  2. Mendeley icon

    Mendeley

     293 likes

    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
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Generate Bibliographies in Word and OpenOffice
     
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    1
    Comments about Mendeley as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Large free online storage. Integrates well with Word. Easy to use. Regular email of like-minded articles.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Mendeley icon
    Mendeley icon
    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  4. Qiqqa icon

    Qiqqa

     422 likes

    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
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Qiqqa screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Qiqqa as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Much more powerful and flexible

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Qiqqa icon
    Qiqqa icon
    • Qiqqa is Freemium and Open SourceEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  5. JabRef icon

    JabRef

     104 likes

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

    50 JabRef alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    JabRef screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about JabRef as an Alternative to EndNote
    John Fastman
    Negative
    -1

    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.)

    JabRef icon
    JabRef icon
    • JabRef is Free and Open SourceEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  6. Citavi icon

    Citavi

     52 likes

    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.
     
  7. KBibTeX icon

    KBibTeX

     9 likes

    KBibTeX is a reference management software primarily for BibTeX which is typically used in conjunction with TeX/LaTeX.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    KBibTeX screenshot 1
     
  9. Paperlib icon

    Paperlib

     3 likes

    An open-source and simple academic paper management tool.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • Safari
    Paperlib screenshot 1
     
  10. Elumity icon

    Elumity

     1 like

    Elumity is a powerful academic tool for managing and sharing knowledge, combining research, reference management, and collaboration in one platform.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    Elumity screenshot 1
     
  11. Afforai icon

    Afforai

     1 like

    Afforai is the AI-powered reference manager for modern researchers, helping researchers manage, annotate, cite papers and conduct literature reviews with AI reliably. Afforai was built to assist every kind of researcher, whether you are a student, professor, or researcher of 50-years.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Afforai Reference Manager
     
9 of 9 EndNote alternatives