What is the best reference manager?
There are several good reference managers out there, each with its own strengths. Paperpile, Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley are popular choices. Finding the best reference manager for your research process and personal preferences can be challenging. This guide is here to help you with your decision.
The table below compares the most important features of these four popular reference managers.
| Paperpile | EndNote | Mendeley | Zotero | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Compatibility | 5/7 | 4/7 | 4/7 | 6/7 |
| Web | ||||
| iOS | ||||
| Android | Third-party apps only | |||
| Windows | Desktop client for MS Word plugin | |||
| MacOS | Desktop client for MS Word plugin | |||
| Linux | ||||
| ChromeOS | Set up Linux terminal | |||
| Writing Platforms | 4/4 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 4/4 |
| Word on Windows | ||||
| Word on Mac | ||||
| Google Docs | ||||
| Overleaf Live BibTeX integration with Overleaf | ||||
| Data Import | 6/6 | 4.5/6 | 3.5/6 | 3.5/6 |
| Manual import with auto-completion Start typing in a title, URL, or DOI and the reference data will be filled automatically | Autocompletion only if DOI, arXiv ID or PubMed ID entered | |||
| Bulk data import Users can upload RIS, BibTeX, NBIB, and PDF files. | NBIB files can’t be imported | |||
| In-app literature search | ||||
| Bulk import from web databases | ||||
| Metadata extract from PDFs | ||||
| Create references from identifiers Generate references from DOI, PMC ID, arXiv ID, PubMed ID or ISBN | DOI only | No PMC IDs or ISBNs | No PMC IDs | |
| PDF management | 6/6 | 4/6 | 2/6 | 2/6 |
| Custom PDF file naming | ||||
| Sticky notes | ||||
| Highlight annotation | ||||
| Freehand drawing | ||||
| Custom highlight colors | ||||
| Free text annotations Write anywhere directly on pdf | ||||
| Pricing | ||||
| Free version (e.g., short-one time project) | 30 day free trial Mobile apps, Word plugin and Google Docs add-on can be used for free | 30 day free trial EndNote Online can be used for free | Up to 2GB cloud storage for PDFs free | Up to 300MB cloud storage for PDFs free |
| Academic user subscription price | $35.88/year for unlimited cloud storage | $274.95 for 2 years unlimited cloud storage | $165/year for unlimited cloud storage | $120/year for unlimited cloud storage |
Paperpile
If you’re looking for the best reference manager for your research process, try Paperpile:
- Collect references and PDFs directly from websites and databases and save them to your library with one click
- Highlight text and add notes to your PDFs
- Access your library wherever you are
- Add citations and bibliographies to Google Docs and MS Word documents with ease
“One place to organize all the PDF documents, including scientific papers and books. Being able to access them through Google Drive is a game changer.”
-Research Scientist, Boston Dynamics AI Institute