The Best Free EndNote AlternativesTop Research Managers and other similar apps like EndNote

The best free 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 many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to EndNote are Mendeley, Qiqqa, JabRef and Citavi.

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

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EndNote alternatives page was last updated Apr 22, 2022
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  1. Zotero icon

    Zotero

     440 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
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    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 EndNote

     
    Comments about Zotero as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive May 19, 2017
    8

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

    John Fastman
    Positive Dec 17, 2016
    -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.

    EndNote Icon
    Zotero icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Zotero is a great EndNote alternative.

    • Zotero is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to EndNote.

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

    • Zotero is Freemium and Open SourceEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  2. 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 EndNote

     
    Comments about Mendeley as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive Jun 25, 2019
    4

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

    EndNote Icon
    Mendeley icon

    • Most users think Mendeley is a great EndNote alternative.

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

    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  4. 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 EndNote

     
    Comments about Qiqqa as an Alternative to EndNote
    Guest
    Positive Sep 14, 2016
    -1

    Much more powerful and flexible

    EndNote Icon
    Qiqqa icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Qiqqa is a great EndNote alternative.

    • Qiqqa is Freemium and Open SourceEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
  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 EndNote

     
    Comments about JabRef as an Alternative to EndNote
    John Fastman
    Negative Dec 17, 2016
    -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.)

    EndNote Icon
    JabRef icon

    • Most users think JabRef is a great EndNote alternative.

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

    Citavi

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

    38 Citavi alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CH flagSwitzerland

    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.

    Citavi Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Information gathering
    3.  Book Manager
    4.  Knowledge Management
    5.  PDF Preview
    6.  Knowledge base
    7.  Intuitive Nodes

    Citavi VS EndNote

     
  7. KBibTeX icon

    KBibTeX

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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    KBibTeX screenshot 1

    KBibTeX Features

    1. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX

    KBibTeX VS EndNote

     
  9. BibDesk icon

    BibDesk

     24 likes
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    BibDesk is a bibliographic reference manager for Mac OS X. BibDesk is designed to help organize and use bibliographic databases in BibTeX .bib format.

    32 BibDesk alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    BibDesk screenshot 1

    BibDesk Features

    1. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    2.  Typesetting
    3.  Tex

    BibDesk VS EndNote

     
  10. 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.

    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 EndNote

     
  11. 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 EndNote

     
  12. Bibliography.com icon

    Bibliography.com

     2 likes
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    Bibliography.com is a free, easy-to-use multi-platform bibliography and citation generator that automatically generates accurate citations for students and teachers. It’s the world’s fastest and most accurate citation generator and management tool.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Bibliography.com screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Educational

    Features

    1.  Citations
    2.  Importing from webpages
    3.  Knowledge Management
    4.  Cross-references
    5.  Bibliography generator
    6.  Export citation

    Bibliography.com VS EndNote

     

    • Bibliography.com is the most popular SaaS alternative to EndNote.

    • Bibliography.com is Freemium and ProprietaryEndNote is Paid and Proprietary
10 of 30 EndNote alternatives