Reference Manager AlternativesResearch Managers and other similar apps like Reference Manager

Reference Manager is described as 'Reference system for academic writing. Online Reference Searcher: Collect references from remote bibliographic databases. Search ISI Web of Science®, PubMed and Internet libraries worldwide from Reference Manager' and is a research manager in the education & reference category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Reference Manager for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Web-based, Linux and iPhone apps. The best Reference Manager alternative is Zotero, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Reference Manager are Qiqqa, Mendeley, JabRef and Zoho Notebook.

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Alternatives list

  1. Zotero icon
     476 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 (Subscription)
    • 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
     
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    1
    Comments about Zotero as an Alternative to Reference Manager
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    it is totally free and supports webdav

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Reference Manager Icon
    Zotero icon
    • Zotero is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to Reference Manager.

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

    • Zotero is Freemium and Open SourceReference Manager is Paid and Proprietary
    • Zotero is Privacy focusedReference Manager is not according to our users
  2. Qiqqa icon
     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 (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  3. Mendeley icon
     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 (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
    • Mendeley is the most popular Web-based alternative to Reference Manager.

    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryReference Manager is Paid and Proprietary
  4. JabRef icon
     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
     
  5. Zoho Notebook icon
     91 likes

    Web-based tool for integrating text, images, audio, and video with syncing across devices, real-time collaboration, handwriting input, AI-powered summaries, checklists, scanning, reminders, search in handwritten notes, and advanced organization.

    319 Zoho Notebook alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
     
  6. BibSonomy icon
     45 likes

    BibSonomy is a system for sharing bookmarks and lists of literature (BibTex format).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  7. EndNote icon
     44 likes

    A reference management software, used for searching online publication databases, & managing publications / bibliographies, with the ability to insert the references into a word processor.

    46 EndNote alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • iPhone
    • iPad
     
    • EndNote is the most popular commercial alternative to Reference Manager.

    • EndNote is Paid and ProprietaryReference Manager is also Paid and Proprietary
  8. Paperpile icon
     57 likes

    Organize your research papers in a Gmail-like web app, sync your PDFs to Google Drive and cite your references in Google Docs.

    45 Paperpile alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Google Chrome
    • Microsoft Office Word
    • Google Drive
    • Google Drive - Docs
    • Google Scholar
     
  9. ReadCube Papers icon
     71 likes

    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

    Cost / License

    • Subscription
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Firefox
     
  10. Citavi icon
     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
     
  11. EasyBib icon
     17 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Drive - Docs
     
  12. KBibTeX icon
     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
     
12 of 29 Reference Manager alternatives