Best Zotero Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from reference management software ranked against Zotero on the same published basis.
- 2Zotero vs Mendeley Reference Manager
- 3Zotero vs refbase
- 4Zotero vs Sciwand
- 5Zotero vs Jurism
- 6Zotero vs Lean Library Workspace
- 7Zotero vs Logically
- 8Zotero vs JabRef
- 9Zotero vs Paperite
- 10Zotero vs Papis
- 11Zotero vs Petal
- 12Zotero vs KDE Keysmith
- 13Zotero vs Wren
- 14Zotero vs BibSonomy
- 15Zotero vs EndNote
- 16Zotero vs Pybliographer
- 17Zotero vs ReadCube Papers
- 18Zotero vs RefWorks
- 19Zotero vs Paperpile
- 20Zotero vs Bookends
- 21Zotero vs Citavi
Zotero alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Mendeley Reference Manager | 7.4 | Free plan | $4.58/mo | Browser, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | refbase | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | Sciwand | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | Jurism | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Browser, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Lean Library Workspace | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Web |
| 7 | Logically | 7.1 | Free plan | $1/mo | Browser, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 8 | JabRef | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Browser, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Paperite | 6.9 | Free plan | $15/mo | Web |
| 10 | Papis | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 11 | Petal | 6.9 | Free plan | $2.55/mo | Browser, Web |
| 12 | KDE Keysmith | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 13 | Wren | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Browser, Mac |
| 14 | BibSonomy | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | API, Web |
| 15 | EndNote | 6.7 | No | — | Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 16 | Pybliographer | 6.7 | Free plan | Free | Linux |
| 17 | ReadCube Papers | 6.7 | No | $7.92/mo | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 18 | RefWorks | 6.7 | No | — | API, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 19 | Paperpile | 6.6 | No | $4.15/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 20 | Bookends | 6.4 | No | $1.25/mo | Browser, iOS, Mac |
| 21 | Citavi | 6.4 | No | — | Browser, Web, Windows |
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Questions about Zotero alternatives
What is the best alternative to Zotero?
Mendeley Reference Manager, number 2 in reference management software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: refbase, Sciwand, Jurism and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Zotero?
Mendeley Reference Manager is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 14 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.