The Best Open Source Zotero AlternativesTop Research Managers and other similar apps like Zotero

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

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Zotero alternatives are mainly Research Managers, but if you're looking for Document Managers or PDF Readers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Mac, Open Source, 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. JabRef icon

    JabRef

     108 likes

    Bibliography reference manager. The native file format used by JabRef is BibTeX, the standard LaTeX bibliography format.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    JabRef screenshot 1
     
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    2
    JabRef vs Zotero Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Open source, clean, robust. Works best with BibTex/Latex environment.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    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.

    • JabRef is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  2. Qiqqa icon

    Qiqqa

     426 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.

    70 Qiqqa alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Qiqqa screenshot 1
     
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    4
    Qiqqa vs Zotero Comments
    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.

    altenativeto
    Negative
    -1

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

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

    Paperwork

     42 likes

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

    42 Paperwork alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    Paperwork screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Paperwork vs Zotero Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Paperwork is for personal documents, Zotero is for research

    • Paperwork is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
    • Paperwork is a Document Manager Zotero is a Research Manager
  5. BibSonomy icon

    BibSonomy

     45 likes

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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    BibSonomy screenshot 1
     
  7. ZoteroBib icon

    ZoteroBib

     15 likes

    ZoteroBib is a free service to help people quickly create bibliographies without installing any software or creating an account.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Online
    ZoteroBib screenshot 1
     
  8. MyBib icon

    MyBib

     16 likes

    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.

    23 MyBib alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Google Chrome
    MyBib screenshot 1
     
  9. I, Librarian icon

    I, Librarian

     2 likes

    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

    Platforms

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

    KBibTeX

     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
    KBibTeX screenshot 1
     
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    1
    KBibTeX vs Zotero Comments
    superluminar
    0

    Only an alternative if you use BibTeX/TeX/LaTeX.

    • KBibTeX is Free and Open SourceZotero is Freemium and Open Source
  11. Paperlib icon

    Paperlib

     6 likes

    An open-source and simple academic paper management tool.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • Safari
    Paperlib screenshot 1
     
  12. BibDesk icon

    BibDesk

     24 likes

    BibDesk is a bibliographic reference manager for Mac OS X. BibDesk is designed to help organize and use bibliographic databases in BibTeX .bib format.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    BibDesk screenshot 1
     
  13. SCIENTILLA icon

    SCIENTILLA

     22 likes

    Scientilla is a new approach to give the scientific community an open, free, accurate, tidy and up-to-date production reporting solution.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  14. bibus icon

    bibus

     5 likes

    Bibus is a bibliographic database. It uses a MySQL or SQLite database to store references. It can directly insert references in OpenOffice.org and MS Word and generate the bibliographic index.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    bibus screenshot 1
     
12 of 20 Zotero alternatives