Library Guides: EndNote: Alternatives to EndNote

Alternatives to EndNote

There are a number of bibliographic referencing software packages available that can be used instead of EndNote. This page lists some commonly used free alternatives to EndNote and provides a comparison table for EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero and BibTeX.

Please note that the Library does not support these products. Help is available from the product website.

Zotero

Zotero provides an online library as well as a desktop version that can be downloaded from the Zotero website.

Sync your libraries across all locations and versions.
Store unlimited references and up to 300mb of attachments for free in your online library (additional online storage for documents can be purchased).
Unlimited attachments can be stored for free in the desktop library.
Attachments can include PDFs, audio and video files, archived web pages and images.
Use a browser extension to quickly add webpages and documents to your library.
Create bibliographies in MS Word, Google Docs or Libre Office using the Zotero plugin.
Share libraries with other users.

See the Zotero Quick Start Guide for help.

Mendeley Reference Manager

Mendeley Reference Manager is a free web and desktop reference management application. The desktop version can be downloaded from the Mendeley website. It also provides an academic social network for researchers.

Sync your libraries across all locations and versions.
Store unlimited references and up to 2GB of attachments for free in your online library (additional online storage for documents can be purchased).
Unlimited attachments can be stored for free in the desktop library.
Attach PDF documents to your references and annotate them in your library. Note other file formats can be attached but cannot be edited within Mendeley.
Use a browser extension to quickly add webpages and documents to your library.
Create bibliographies in MS Word or Libre Office using the Mendeley plugin.
Share libraries with up to 25 other users using Groups.

Getting started with Mendeley Reference Manager

See more Mendeley Guides

BibTex

is a referencing format that is used to create bibliographies in LaTeX documents.

LaTeX is a typesetting markup language that is used to create formatted documents. It is commonly used in fields such as IT and mathematics as it supports the formatting of formulas and mathematical equations.

The University of Melbourne provides a BibTeX with LaTeX guide.

Also see the BibTeX.org guide.

Comparison table

Features	EndNote	Mendeley	Zotero	BibTeX
Publisher URL	EndNote https://endnote.com/	Elsevier https://www.mendeley.com/	Zotero https://www.zotero.org/	No official site BibTeX. org http://www.bibtex.org/ CTAN https://ctan.org/ Note that other referencing software on this page also allows you to output references in BibTeX format.
Cost	All staff and students have free access through the JCU site licence. Software must be purchased once you leave JCU to retain full functionality.	free	free	free
Learning curve	steep	easy-moderate	easy-moderate	steep
Licence type	proprietary	proprietary	open source	open source
Access methods	desktop application online library iPad app	desktop application online library Apple iOS app Android app	desktop application online library Apple iOS - PaperShip app Android - Zandy, Zotdroid apps	references are stored in a text file with the file extension .bib
Storage for references	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited	unlimited
Storage for attachments	unlimited	2GB *currently JCU has institutional access which provides 100GB. This access will cease on 28/8/21	300MB individuals can subscribe for additional storage https://www.zotero.org/settings/storage?ref=usbf	NA _ attachments are stored separately to the BibTeX document.
Adding references	Import RIS or EndNote files from databases & Google Scholar Import PDFs with DOIs directly into library Capture bookmarklet for web pages	Import RIS or EndNote files from databases & Google Scholar Capture extension for webpages and documents on the web Import PDFs Search Mendeley catalogue to find and add references	Import RIS or EndNote files from databases & Google Scholar Import PDFs Capture extension for website (including snapshot of webpage) Lookup	download BibTeX records from databases & Google Scholar to add to your BibTeX file
Referencing styles	6,000+ * EndNote comes with top 500 styles installed. Download additional styles	9,500+	9,800+	many search CTAN for packages https://ctan.org/
Editing referencing styles	within EndNote Instructions	edit using the Mendeley CSL Editor Instructions	edit using the Zotero Style editor Instructions	BibTeX documentation - style hacking guide Instructions
Word processor integrations	MS Word (PC & Mac) 2007+ Libre Office (PC) Open Office (PC) Papers (Mac) - limited functions Compatability	MS Word 2016+ Microsoft Word app for iPad® Microsoft Word Online LibreOffice (desktop version only)	MS Word (PC & Mac) Libre Office (PC & Mac) Google Docs (any)	LaTeX
Sharing libraries	Desktop version: Share library with up to 100 people Online account and sync required to share Can only sync one library to share Can share PDFs Online version share with up to 1000 people Cannot share attachments can share each group separately	Share private Mendeley Groups with up to 25 people Public groups have unlimited members - by invitation or open groups available Groups must be created and shared in the Mendeley Desktop application Can share PDFs in private groups	Share private Zotero Groups Public groups have unlimited members - by invitation or open groups available Groups must be created and shared in the Mendeley Desktop application Can share PDFs in private groups or public closed membership groups if file-sharing enabled by group admin Zotero Groups	share BibTeX document with co-authors
Managing duplicates	Find duplicates function Manually select and delete available in desktop or online versions	Find duplicates function available in desktop version Finds and merges duplicates (manual confirmation to merge) Instructions	Zotero automatically identifies possible duplicates and adds them to a separate folder Merge duplicates (manual confirmation)	manual process in BibTeX document
Organisation and folders	Create group sets for categories Create groups within group sets to tag references Only one level of groups available	Create and nest multiple levels of folders Tag references with keywords	Create and nest multiple levels of folders Tag references with keywords	NA - single document
Attachments	Attach PDF files to records Annotate files within EndNote desktop	Attach PDF files to records Annotate files in Mendeley desktop or online versions	Attach PDF files to records or take snapshots of web pages
Other features	Manuscript Matcher to find relevant journals to publish. Create citation reports for references downloaded from Web of Science or PubMed (note will only include Web of Science citations).	Mendeley also provides academic networking services. Create a personal profile for other researchers to find you Mendeley Suggest provides suggestions for articles of interest. Funding and career databases are also included in Mendeley	Create a personal profile for other researchers to find you Add RSS feeds to Zotero. Articles of interest can be added to Zotero with one click.

Other reference managers

There are many more options available for reference management software - both open source and proprietary. Some are freely available while others may require a payment or a subscription.

If you want to keep exploring your options, have a look at some of the software mentioned on this Wikipedia page, and check out comments in Twitter and the like to see what people think of the programmes.

Comparison of reference management software
Wikipedia page