Zotero AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Document Managers

The best Document Manager alternative to Zotero is Mendeley, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Zotero and 14 are Document Managers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Document Manager alternatives to Zotero are Qiqqa, Paperwork, Paperpile and DocsBoard.

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Zotero alternatives are mainly Document Managers, but if you're looking for Research Managers or Document Scanners you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Open Source, Mac, Research Manager and Free. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Zotero.
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Alternatives list

  1. Mendeley icon

    Mendeley

     293 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...

    81 Mendeley alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Generate Bibliographies in Word and OpenOffice
     
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    2
    45
    Comments about Mendeley as an Alternative to Zotero
    John Fastman
    Positive
    26

    Mendeley differs from Zotero like this: 1) It is not open source, but it's still free (as in beer); 2) it has better features for annotating pdf files; 3) It emphasizes connections between academics working in similar areas, which helps in discovery of references. Zotero doesn't do that. However, Zotero is better at extracting meta data from pdf files and has the superior browser plugin.

    Nick Scientist
    Positive
    2

    Mendeley is not open-source. After the migration to the Mendeley Reference Manager which has been a disaster in performance for the desktop apps, exhibit buggy behavior, are much more taxing to computers. Web plugin much better in Zotero too.

    Zotero Icon
    Mendeley icon

    • Most users think Mendeley is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Mendeley is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Zotero.

    • Mendeley is the most popular free alternative to Zotero.

    • Mendeley is Freemium and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  2. Qiqqa icon

    Qiqqa

     422 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.

    60 Qiqqa alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Qiqqa screenshot 1
     
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    4
    23
    Comments about Qiqqa as an Alternative to Zotero
    phytographer
    Negative
    3

    Qiqqa does not have:

    1. Chrome connector for gathering citations
    2. Google Docs integration
    3. LibreOffice Integration
    Alternative User929
    Negative
    0

    Not like Zotero or Mendeley.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    They both manage PDFs and allow you to do reference management and bilbiographies.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Zotero Icon
    Qiqqa icon

    • Most users think Qiqqa is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Qiqqa is the most popular Open Source alternative to Zotero.

    • Qiqqa is Freemium and Open SourceZotero is also Freemium and Open Source
  4. Paperwork icon

    Paperwork

     41 likes
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    Paperwork is a personal document manager for scanned documents (and PDFs).

    33 Paperwork alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Paperwork screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Paperwork as an Alternative to Zotero
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Paperwork is for personal documents, Zotero is for research

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    Paperwork icon
    • Paperwork is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  5. Paperpile icon

    Paperpile

     57 likes
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    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
    Paperpile screenshot 1
     
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    1
    7
    Comments about Paperpile as an Alternative to Zotero
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    It is an amazing software and has many great features when compared to Zotero

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Zotero Icon
    Paperpile icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Paperpile is a great Zotero alternative.

    • Paperpile is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Zotero.

    • Paperpile is Paid and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  6. DocsBoard icon

    DocsBoard

     6 likes
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    Solve your documentation problems with a single platform that integrates all document formats, enhances collaboration, and maintains real-time updates.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    DocsBoard screenshot 1
     

    • DocsBoard is the most popular SaaS alternative to Zotero.

    • DocsBoard is Free and ProprietaryZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  9. I, Librarian icon

    I, Librarian

     2 likes
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    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

    • Subscription
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Organize PDFs.
     

    • I, Librarian is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Zotero.

    • I, Librarian is Paid and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  10. dox2U icon

    dox2U

     Like
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    dox2U is one of the best low-cost document management systems for all your documented information, allowing you to organize, retrieve and manage your documents seamlessly.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    This is the product dashboard.
     
  11. EazyFormat icon

    EazyFormat

     1 like
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    EazyFormat allows professional-looking documents creation in seconds with Google Docs add-on using format templates and custom style presets that applies on the entire document in one click.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Google Drive
    • Google Docs
    • Google Workspace
    Style Formattin & Citation Management
     
  12. UbikReader icon

    UbikReader

     5 likes
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    UbikReader is the new way to organize your documents. Multitask while you read, annotate, write notes and share your documents with ease. No more worrying about how to manage your large, cluttered library of documents.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    UbikReader screenshot 1
     
  13. PocketBib icon

    PocketBib

     2 likes
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    PocketBib is a BibTeX library reader for academics on the go. With PocketBib you can search, browse and read the papers in your BibTeX library, and synchronise them over Dropbox with BibDesk or JabRef on your computer.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • iPhone
    • iPad
    PocketBib screenshot 1
     
  14. PDF Stacks icon

    PDF Stacks

     9 likes
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    With PDF Stacks, you can organize, find and browse, search, annonate and share your collection and library of PDF files, papers, research and journal articles with a single click. It saves you time: no more wondering around your computer to find a PDF file.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    Your library of PDF files at your fingertips: instantly organize, search, read, share and print within a click!
     
12 of 14 Zotero alternatives