Reference Manager Alternatives

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, Online / Web-based, Linux and iPhone. The best alternative is Zotero, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Reference Manager are Qiqqa, Mendeley, Zoho Notebook and JabRef.

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

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Reference Manager

Paid • Proprietary
Research Manager
Windows

Reference Manager is a reference system for academic writing. Online Reference Searcher: Collect references from remote...

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Zotero
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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
71 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 Reference Manager opinions
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
it is totally free and supports webdav
Positive comment•
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Qiqqa
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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
Mendeley
Do you think this is a good alternative?
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
Zoho Notebook
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Yes
No
Free Personal • Proprietary
Note-taking Tool
Todo List Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Apple Watch
353 alternatives to Zoho Notebook
Online Notebook application: Zoho Notebook lets you combine text, images, audio, video, RSS feeds, documents and much more. Online Collaboration: You can share a single image or selection of text from a page rather than the whole document, giving the author absolute control over...
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Zoho Notebook Features
1. Cloud SyncSync your data (notes, documents, bookmarks, etc.) across your different devices and to the cloud.
2. Web ClipperSave any page or content from the web with a single click with Zoho Notebook.
3. Works OfflineZoho Notebook can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
4. Dark ModeZoho Notebook supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
5. Two-factor AuthenticationZoho Notebook supports two-factor authentication (2FA).
Audio with notes
Handwriting recognition
Notebook
Outline organization
JabRef
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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
BibSonomy
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Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Research Manager
Bookmark Manager
Social Bookmarking Tool
Online
67 alternatives to BibSonomy
BibSonomy is a system for sharing bookmarks and lists of literature (BibTex format).
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BibSonomy Features
1. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in BibSonomy simultaneously.
Bookmarks
Knowledge Management
Tagging
Data Mining
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
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
EndNote
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Yes
No
Paid • Proprietary
Research Manager
Mac
Windows
Online
iPhone
iPad
41 alternatives to EndNote
A reference management software, used for searching online publication databases, & managing publications / bibliographies, with the ability to insert the references into a word processor.
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EndNote Features
1. PDF annotationEndNote support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in EndNote simultaneously.
Personal Information Manager (PIM)
Compatible with Microsoft Office