Best reference managers
Apps for collecting research papers, organising PDFs and inserting citations and bibliographies into your writing.
3 apps, ordered by visits from AppBreakup and how often our research lists each one as an alternative. Open any app to see its alternatives.
All reference managers
- Alternatives to Zotero
Free, open-source reference manager for collecting, annotating and citing research sources.
Open sourceWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extension - Alternatives to Mendeley Reference Manager
Free reference manager from Elsevier for organising papers, annotating PDFs and citing in Word.
FreeWindows, macOS, Linux, Web, Browser extension - Alternatives to Paperpile
Web-based reference manager built around Google Docs, Google Drive and Word.
PaidWeb, Browser extension, iOS, Android
Our picks by need
Popular comparisons
Common questions
What are the best reference managers?
Based on how often our research lists them as alternatives and visits from AppBreakup, the leading reference managers right now are Zotero, Mendeley Reference Manager and Paperpile.
Are there free reference managers?
Yes. Zotero (open source) and Mendeley Reference Manager (free) have a free option, out of 2 free or freemium apps we track.
Which reference managers are open source?
None of the apps in this category is open source.