RefWorks Alternatives

RefWorks is described as '- an online research management, writing and collaboration tool - is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies' and is an app in the education & reference category. There are more than 25 alternatives to RefWorks for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Windows, Online / Web-based, iPhone and iPad. The best alternative is Zotero, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like RefWorks are Qiqqa, Mendeley, JabRef and BibSonomy.

RefWorks alternatives are mainly Research Managers but may also be Document Managers or Bookmark Managers. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of RefWorks.

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RefWorks

Paid • Proprietary

Mac
Windows
Linux
Online

RefWorks - an online research management, writing and collaboration tool - is designed to help researchers easily gather,...

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Zotero
Is this a good alternative?
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
69 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.
Suggest and vote on features
Zotero Features
1. Ad-freeZotero doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
2. Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsZotero can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
3. PDF annotationZotero support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
4. Support for MarkDownZotero supports MarkDown for document formatting.
5. Privacy focusedZotero is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
6. Full-Text SearchZotero lets you search for specific words or phrases from inside a document or database.
7. Cloud SyncSync your data (notes, documents, bookmarks, etc.) across your different devices and to the cloud.
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
Knowledge Management
Export to LaTeX
Microsoft Office integration
Cross-references
Library Management
WebDAV Support
Google docs integration
Compatible with Microsoft Office
Zotero vs RefWorks
pros, cons and recent comments
Guest
It works - and it's open-source (not controlled by publishing company)
Positive comment• ago

4
Qiqqa
Is this a good alternative?
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
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Document Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
72 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
JabRef
Is this a good alternative?
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.
Suggest and vote on features
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
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Research Manager
Bookmark Manager
Social Bookmarking Tool
Online
68 alternatives to BibSonomy
BibSonomy is a system for sharing bookmarks and lists of literature (BibTex format).
Suggest and vote on features
BibSonomy Features
1. Real time collaborationMultiple users can work together in BibSonomy simultaneously.
Knowledge Management
Tagging
Bookmarks
Data Mining
Citavi
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Windows
34 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
Is this 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
Is this 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.
Suggest and vote on features
Paperpile Features
Sync with Google Drive
EndNote
Is this a good alternative?
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
Zenreader
Is this a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Note-taking Tool
Mac
Windows
21 alternatives to Zenreader
Zenreader is a desktop app to take notes, organise your knowledge and produce great work in no time. It is a powerful productivity tool that includes tagging, reference management and keeping track of your progress.
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Zenreader Features
1. PDF annotationZenreader support PDF Annotation for highlighting, notes etc
2. OCRExtract the text from a screen capture or file and paste it into another document for edits.
Text Highlighting
Document Repository
PDF OCR
Tagging
Document Annotations
Offline Reading