The Best Open Source EndNote AlternativesTop Research Managers and other similar apps like EndNote

The best open source alternative to EndNote is Zotero. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to EndNote and 11 is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to EndNote are Qiqqa, JabRef, KBibTeX and BibDesk.

More about EndNote
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
EndNote alternatives page was last updated

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
     
    |
    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. 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
     
    |
    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
  4. 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
     
    |
    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
  5. 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
     
  6. BibDesk icon

    BibDesk

     24 likes

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

    34 BibDesk alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    BibDesk screenshot 1
     
  7. SCIENTILLA icon

    SCIENTILLA

     21 likes

    Scientilla is a new approach to give the scientific community an open, free, accurate, tidy and up-to-date production reporting solution.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  9. I, Librarian icon

    I, Librarian

     2 likes

    I, Librarian is an online service that will organize your collection of PDF and office files. The service focuses on central management of PDF documents suitable for real-time collaboration in research teams and companies.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Organize PDFs.
     
  10. 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
     
  11. Peerlibrary icon

    Peerlibrary

     9 likes

    PeerLibrary is an open source project developing a collaborative online community where scholars and researchers can discover, read, and discuss scholarly literature all within one site. This project focuses on expediting access to publications, enabling public recordings of...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  12. Bibfilex icon

    Bibfilex

     Like

    Bibfilex is a free bibliographic manager for GNU/Linux, Windows and OS X. It's useful to create and to manage archives of bibliographical items (books, articles, etc.) with possible attachments of any kind according to Biblatex structure and rules.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Bibfilex screenshot 1
     
  13. Citation Generator icon

    Citation Generator

     1 like

    Mick Schroeder’s automatic citation generator. Create a bibliography from a URL, PubMed ID, DOI, ISBN, etc… Style with AMA, APA, APA, NLM, + 9000 more.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
     
11 of 11 EndNote alternatives