Which citation manager is best for you? The links and table below can help you decide, but here are a few other questions to consider:
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- What do your colleagues use? You will have someone to turn to for help.
- Is ease of use all important? Zotero is a bit easier to use.
- Is cost critical? Zotero is free and open access with additional storage for a fee. Mendeley has a free version.
- Do you save PDFs for every reference? Zotero can automatically download PDFs when available.
- Is managing websites important? Zotero excels at this.
- Is full functionality important? EndNote is more powerful and customizable.
- Do you plan to spend many years in academia? EndNote is best for large reference collections.
- Are journal abbreviations used in your preferred citation style(s)? EndNote handles this best.
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EndNote
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EndNote Basic
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Mendeley
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Zotero
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Format
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Desktop software for PC and Mac
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Web-based
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Web-based
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Web-based and standalone
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Cost
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Available in AU Install
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Free with 2 GB free online file storage. More file storage comes with purchase of software.
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Free and fee versions
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Free with 300 MB free online file storage. More file storage starts at $20/year.
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How to get it
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AU Install
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www.myendnoteweb.com
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www.mendeley.com
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www.zotero.org
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Ease of use
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Moderate learning curve
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Easier than EndNote
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Fairly easy to learn
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Fairly easy to learn
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Word processors
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Word and Open Office
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Word
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Word and Open Office
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Word and Open Office
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Attach PDFs?
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Yes
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Not on the free version
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Yes
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Yes
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Share references?
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No
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Yes
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Yes
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Yes
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Comparisons by other universities
EndNote vs. RefWorks vs. Zotero Vs. Mendeley (UC Berkeley)
EndNote vs. Zotero vs. Mendeley (MIT)
