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Citation Manager Showdown

Compare features of Mendeley, RefWorks and Zotero

Which citation manager is right for you?

2024 Citation Manager Comparison
  Mendeley RefWorks Zotero
Cost to UNLV students/staff Free; additional cloud storage available to individuals beginning at $55/year Free to you, paid for by UNLV Libraries Free; additional cloud storage available to individuals beginning at $20/year
Stores data about items (links) Yes Yes Yes
Stores PDF files automatically Yes No Yes
Flags retracted papers No No Yes
Web-based (cloud) or desktop Web-based, optional Desktop Web-based Need both Web-based and Desktop
App for use on tablet No No (access via browser) Yes, iOS only
Collaborators can… Add and view files, annotate PDF files in private groups Add and view files, annotate PDF files in groups Add and view files, annotate PDF files in private groups
Who can collaborate Anyone with free account Anyone at a place with a RefWorks subscription Anyone with free account
Supported web browsers for adding new references Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer 10.0 +

Chrome 55 or later.

Firefox 60 or later.

Safari on macOS Big Sur or later.

In-text citation tool for word processors Word & Office 365 Word & Office 365, Google Docs Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, Office 365
Can cite in word processor while offline No No Yes
Annotation features Highlight & annotate directly on PDF file & can export Highlight & annotate in PDF viewer Highlight & annotate in PDF viewer or store notes in a separate text file
Backs up your data (cloud) Yes Yes Yes
Can create a local, offline backup  Yes No Yes
Local file storage (PDFs) Yes No Yes
Free cloud file storage limit

Free 2GB personal storage; counts citations and saved files and PDFs.

Individuals can purchase more:

$4.99/month or $55/yr for 5GB
$9.99/month or $110/yr for 10GB
$14.99/month or $165/yr for unlimited storage
100GB; counts documents only

Free 300 MB personal storage; counts citations and files and PDFs.

Individuals can purchase more:

$20/year for 2 GB
$60/year for 6 GB
$120.00/year for unlimited storage

table last updated 7/29/24      

 

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