Free Zotero Alternatives

The best free alternative to Zotero is Mendeley. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Zotero and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Zotero are Qiqqa, JabRef, TheBrain and BibSonomy.

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

Zotero alternatives page was last updated

Zotero

376

Freemium • Open Source
Research Manager

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, share research and cite your research sources directly in...

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Mendeley
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Document Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
73 Mendeley alternatives
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...
- - Mendeley is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Zotero.
- - Mendeley is the most popular free alternative to Zotero.
Suggest and vote on features
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
Comments about Mendeley as a Alternative to Zotero
Most users think Mendeley is a great Zotero alternative.
Nick Scientist
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.
Positive comment•
2

John Fastman
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.
Positive comment•
25
Qiqqa
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Open Source
Research Manager
Document Manager
Windows
55 Qiqqa alternatives
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.
- - Qiqqa is the most popular Open Source alternative to Zotero.
Suggest and vote on features
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
Comments about Qiqqa as a Alternative to Zotero
Most users think Qiqqa is a great Zotero alternative.
phytographer
Qiqqa does not have:

Chrome connector for gathering citations

Google Docs integration

LibreOffice Integration
Negative comment•
3
Alternative User929
Not like Zotero or Mendeley.
Negative comment•
0

altenativeto
The open source transparency and the WebDav sync make Zotero a better option for Users with a certain degree of Data control/ privacy needs.
Negative comment•
-1

Guest
They both manage PDFs and allow you to do reference management and bilbiographies.
Positive comment•
1
JabRef
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Research Manager
Mac
Windows
Linux
Microsoft Edge
Vivaldi Browser
Google Chrome
Firefox
41 JabRef alternatives
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
Comments about JabRef as a Alternative to Zotero
Almost everyone thinks JabRef is a great Zotero alternative.
Guest
Open source, clean, robust. Works best with BibTex/Latex environment.
Positive comment•
3

Guest
Screen clear with all important informations easily readible. Avoid import of existing records and efficient merge compared to zotero !!! So no duplicate. We can create many librairies and we are not limited to one big with every records in, so quicker when you have a lot of references.
Positive comment•
0
TheBrain
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Mind Mapping Tool
Team Collaboration Tool
Mac
Windows
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
134 TheBrain alternatives
TheBrain helps you organize all your Web pages, contacts, documents, emails and files in a context-driven visual map.
- - TheBrain is the most popular Android & Android Tablet alternative to Zotero.
Suggest and vote on features
TheBrain Features
1. Cloud SyncSync your data (notes, documents, bookmarks, etc.) across your different devices and to the cloud.
2. PortableTheBrain can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
Visual timeline
Visual-thinking
Visual bookmarks
Brainstorming
Interactive map
Comments about TheBrain as a Alternative to Zotero
This alternative is disputed. TheBrain is still a legitimate Zotero alternative, but it might have issues that some users think are important.
InfinitlyZero
Simply not a viable alternative.
Negative comment•
1

Guest
TheBrain is a non-linear visual mapping tool. It is not first and foremost a reference manager. I own it, and use it, and it's never struck me as a good alternative to Zotero.
Negative comment•
1

Guest
It is not a simple research management tool like Zotero. At least it is for me.
Negative comment•
0
BibSonomy
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Research Manager
Bookmark Manager
Social Bookmarking Tool
Online
68 BibSonomy alternatives
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.
Bookmarks
Knowledge Management
Tagging
Data Mining
Paperwork
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Document Manager
Document Scanner
Windows
Linux
25 Paperwork alternatives
Paperwork is a personal document manager for scanned documents (and PDFs).
Suggest and vote on features
Paperwork Features
1. PortablePaperwork can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
2. OCRExtract the text from a screen capture or file and paste it into another document for edits.
Document structure management
Scanner
Scan to PDF
Gtk
Indexed search
Citavi
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Windows
36 Citavi alternatives
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.
Suggest and vote on features
Citavi Features
PDF Preview
Information gathering
Book Manager
Knowledge base
Intuitive Nodes
Knowledge Management
Comments about Citavi as a Alternative to Zotero
Most users think Citavi is a great Zotero alternative.
altenativeto
It is sadly unstable software. It has of course more professional functions than zotero but also problems with stability. For Example: when I had my computer in standby, I have to restart the software.
Negative comment•
0
MyBib
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Chrome OS
Google Chrome
Firefox
14 MyBib alternatives
A new FREE citation generator. Automatically create bibliographies, references, and citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and over 8000 more styles with a totally free and no-ads citation generator.
Suggest and vote on features
MyBib Features
Citations
Data export/import
Bibliography generator
Export citation
Citation detection
Importing from webpages
ZoteroBib
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Free • Open Source
Online
10 ZoteroBib alternatives
Powered by the same technology behind Zotero, ZoteroBib lets you seamlessly add items from across the web — using Zotero’s unmatched metadata extraction abilities — and generate bibliographies in more than 9,000 citation styles.
Suggest and vote on features
ZoteroBib Features
Bibliography generator
EasyBib
Is this is a good alternative?
Yes
No
Freemium • Proprietary
Research Manager
Online
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
Google Drive - Docs
58 EasyBib alternatives
Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian citation styles. Now supports 7th edition of MLA.
Suggest and vote on features
EasyBib Features
Browser integration
References
Bibliography generator
Citations