EndNote vs Papers: Which reference manager is better?
Choosing a reference manager that suits your workflow is important for every researcher, as it streamlines the process of organizing and citing literature.
But with so many options available, choosing the appropriate software tool isn’t straightforward. To make this decision easier, we'll focus on exploring two reference management tools suitable for academic purposes: EndNote and Papers by Readcube.
EndNote vs Papers: Detailed feature comparison table
Below, you'll find a detailed comparison of the primary features of both applications, offering an in-depth look at how these tools differ.
| EndNote | ReadCube Papers | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Compatibility | 4/7 | 5/7 |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Windows | ||
| MacOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| ChromeOS | ||
| Web clipper | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Chrome | ||
| Edge | ||
| Safari | ||
| Firefox | ||
| Organize references Add references to folders within extension popup | ||
| Writing Platforms | 3/4 | 3/4 |
| Word on Windows | ||
| Word on Mac | ||
| Google Docs | ||
| Overleaf Live BibTeX integration with Overleaf | ||
| Data Import | 4.5/6 | 4/6 |
| Manual import with auto-completion Start typing in a title, URL, or DOI and the reference data will be filled automatically | ||
| Bulk data import Users can upload RIS, BibTeX, NBIB, and PDF files. | ||
| In-app literature search | ||
| Bulk import from web databases | ||
| Metadata extract from PDFs | Incomplete | |
| Create references from identifiers Generate references from DOI, PMC ID, arXiv ID, PubMed ID or ISBN | DOI only | No PMC IDs or ISBNs |
| Data Export and Backup | 3/6 | 3/6 |
| BibTeX Export BibTeX files | ||
| RIS Export RIS files | ||
| Google Drive | ||
| Github | ||
| OneDrive | ||
| Full data export Export all bibliographic data, labels, folders, and PDF files with annotations | ||
| Sharing and Collaboration | 2/4 | 3/4 |
| Shared folders Integrated sharing that does not require set up of external folders in other cloud storage apps or databases | ||
| Unlimited collaborators No limit on the number of users who can access a shared folder | ||
| Collaborators can add, edit, and remove references | ||
| Share references with sharing link | ||
| PDF management | 4/6 | 4/6 |
| Custom PDF file naming | ||
| Sticky notes | ||
| Highlight annotation | ||
| Freehand drawing | ||
| Custom highlight colors | ||
| Free text annotations Write anywhere directly on pdf | ||
| Library management | 8/10 | 6.5/10 |
| Labels Also called tags | ||
| Folders | ||
| Subfolders | ||
| Starred items Also called favorites. Automatic filtering of important references displayed in UI | ||
| Notes | ||
| Duplicate detection Easily spot duplicates in your library | ||
| Detect incomplete references Automatic filtering of incomplete references | ||
| Auto-update reference metadata Get reference data updates automatically | PDF or identifier required | |
| Find full text PDFs | ||
| Bulk editing of references | ||
| Library search | 5/6 | 5/6 |
| Full-text PDF Search Include full text in search | ||
| Exact phrase search Over library (fields and full-text pdfs) | ||
| Author search Search author field | ||
| Notes search Include notes in search | ||
| PDF annotations search Include PDF annotations in your search | ||
| Highlight search terms in search results | ||
| Citing | 3/4 | 3/4 |
| Copy citation to clipboard | ||
| Choose citation style (Word, Google Docs) | ||
| Cite from library (Word, Google Docs) | ||
| Cite from online search | ||
| LaTeX Support | 0/3 | 2/3 |
| Copy BibTeX to clipboard | ||
| Create custom BibTeX key pattern | ||
| BibLaTeX support Export .bib file with BibLaTeX fields | ||
| Support and Community | 2/3 | 1/3 |
| Community forum | ||
| Customer support via in app chat | ||
| Customer support by email | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Free version (e.g., short-one time project) | 30 day free trial EndNote Online can be used for free | 30 day free trial |
| Academic user subscription price | $275 for 3 years unlimited cloud storage | $130/year for unlimited cloud storage |
What is EndNote?
EndNote is a citation management solution developed by Clarivate.
What is Papers?
Papers by ReadCube is a reference and PDF management tool for academic and industry researchers. It is one of Digital Science’s products.
EndNote vs Papers: Factors to consider
There are numerous aspects to weigh when deciding between EndNote and Papers by ReadCube; however, your decision ultimately hinges on a few crucial elements.
Cost. EndNote requires a one-time purchase of $275, making it a costly upfront investment. Subsequent upgrades also require a purchase. ReadCube Papers, on the other hand, operates a subscription model, which can be more affordable initially but may become more expensive over time. You can purchase a pro license for $130 per year.
Platform and device compatibility. Both EndNote and Papers have iOS apps, but only Papers has an Android app. Neither reference management tool is available for Linux machines.
EndNote vs Papers: The PDF reader in Papers has more features than EndNote’s PDF viewer
EndNote's tool for writing notes on PDFs is basic. You can highlight parts of the text, create sticky notes, and draw lines under or through text.
When you open a PDF in EndNote, it shows up next to your list of references. You can choose to split the PDF viewer screen up and down or side to side. To see the PDF in full size, you have to click a button to pop it out.
It is difficult to navigate between different PDFs because EndNote only lets you open one PDF at a time. This makes it hard to compare different papers at once.
On the other hand, Papers by ReadCube has more tools for writing on PDFs. Besides highlighting and sticky notes, you can also draw by hand. However, removing annotations isn't straightforward. Instead of right-clicking on the annotation, you need to click on the X icon in the bottom left of the interface.
Papers also adds hyperlinked references and clickable citations in the text.
In the Papers PDF reader, you can do several things:
- Create a citation for the paper.
- Organize the paper by adding it to a list or shared library.
- Look at a list of related articles and add them to your library.
EndNote vs Papers: EndNote’s online search offers more advanced search options than Papers
Both EndNote and Papers by ReadCube offer an in-app online search function where you can search for papers and seamlessly add them to your library.
- EndNote allows you to restrict your search to specific library catalogs and online databases like PubMed. It is unclear what databases Papers searches over.
- EndNote allows you to search over all the indexes (fields) in the database. In contrast, Papers online search allows you to only search title, year, author and journal fields.
- EndNote’s online search require an extra step to get the PDF of a reference added to EndNote using Online Search. Right click on the reference and click “Find full text” from the context menu. Papers, on the other hand, will get the PDF and save it to your library when you click the View PDF button.
- In Papers, you can sort the results based on relevance and citation count, altimetric score and year of publication. EndNote doesn’t have relevance and citation count options, but you can sort by any of the fields displayed in your reference list, such as author, title, and journal.
EndNote vs Papers: Papers has better LaTeX and BibTeX features than EndNote
EndNote is mainly made for use with word processing software like Microsoft Word, so its LaTeX and BibTeX features aren't straightforward to use.
You can export references to BibTeX format, but the export process requires the additional step of using the style manager to get the BibTeX filter. And you need to set the import filter to BibTeX in the Tools menu to import a BibTeX file into your library.
On the other hand, Papers makes it much easier to work with BibTeX if you're using LaTeX. You can quickly save your whole library or just certain references in the BibTeX format.
- Exporting to BibTeX is simple and built right into the system, so you don't need to choose a specific filter. Right click on the references you wish to export and click on Export to BibTeX.
- You can quickly copy BibTeX information to your clipboard via a right click menu.
- The software lets you change the format of your BibTeX keys, giving you more control, especially if you're an advanced user.
In short, both EndNote and Papers by ReadCube let you work with BibTeX and LaTeX, but Papers offers a smoother process.
EndNote vs Papers: EndNote has automatic duplicate detection but Papers does not
EndNote automatically detects duplicates in your library. The “Find Duplicates” feature in the Library menu will find duplicates. The duplicates are listed in the left panel.
The “Find Duplicates” dialog allows you to select which reference item you’d like to save.
In contrast, Papers does not automatically list duplicates in your library but there is the option to merge duplicate references when you import a bibliographic file to your library.
EndNote vs Papers: Which is better?
It will depend on your needs and personal preferences.
Papers by Readcube is the better choice if:
- You are a STEM researcher and use LaTeX to write your papers
- You regularly read papers with a desktop or web app and need a tool for PDF management
EndNote is the better choice if:
- You search online databases regularly and need powerful search filters
- You have a large library and need to quickly and easily resolve duplicates.
Since you can try both products for free, the best way to find out is to give both a spin.
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