EndNote/EndNote Web/Mendeley/RefWorks/Zotero Features Comparison
- See Wikipedia's Comparison of Reference Management Software for extensive comparisons of many citation managers.
| Basics | EndNote Desktop | EndNote Web | Mendeley | RefWorks | Zotero |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Requires individual purchase by user, research group or department. Educational discounts available through UW-Bookstore or DoIT | Free to UW-Madison students, staff and faculty |
Free to everyone (costs for upgraded storage) |
Free to UW-Madison students, staff, faculty, and alumni | Free to everyone (costs for upgraded storage) |
| Operating System | Macintosh, Windows | Web-based (operating system-independent) | Macintosh, Windows, Linux | Web-based (operating system-independent) | Macintosh, Windows, Linux |
| Share data among other citation management programs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read-only capability | Yes (set library to read-only or locked status) | Yes (Read-only share "group" with anyone who has an EndNote Web account) | No | Yes. Unlimited (UW-Madison affiliation required) | |
| Global edit | Can globally add/replace terms | No. | No. | Can globally add/replace terms | No. |
| Duplicate detection | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes | When syncing libraries, not within a library |
| Automatic journal abbreviation lists | 11 lists supplied , including National Library of Medicine, American Chemical Society, Modern Language Association. Can import others |
None |
None |
None | None |
| Link to PDFs or other materials |
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| Retrieve PDF citation data | Queries DOI and PubMed (EnX5 update). Mixed success | No | Queries PubMed database for matches. Mixed success | No | Queries Google Scholar database for matches. Mixed success |
| Add notes to PDFs | Yes (X5 and forward) | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Full Text PDF search | Yes (EnX4) | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Direct Search of Online Catalogs/Databases | Yes: List | Yes | Automatic capture | Yes | Automatic capture |
| Direct Export (from databases) | Yes: List | Yes: List | Yes: List | Yes | Yes: List |
| Creates formatted bibliographies, in-text citations, and footnotes in word processor | Yes | Yes (MS Word only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Edit or create styles | Yes | No | Yes, if you know language (XML) | Yes | Yes, if you know Citation Style Language (CSL) |
| Create a Subject Bibliography (Create a list of references grouped by subject or other data field) | Yes. You may generate a bibliography grouped by any field (e.g. subject, author). |
No |
No |
No | No |
| Collaboration features |
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Refworks account
RefShare
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| Mobile Device Application |
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No | IPad, smart phones | RefMobile - for mobile and smart phones, PDAs. See RefMobile for details. | Store your collection on the Zotero server. Use your browser to view your collection. |
| Access citations remotely | No. Desktop client. Can sync library with EndNote Web, version X5 (?) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Store PDFs in personal citation database | Yes | Yes |
Yes |
Yes (Limited) | Yes |
| Screen capture web page content (blogs, streaming video, etc.) | No | No |
Yes |
No | Yes |
| More Features | EndNote Desktop | EndNote Web | Mendeley | RefWorks | Zotero |
| Storage/Maximum number of records | Unlimited. 100,000 recommended | 10,000 | Unlimited on desktop (Size restricted by local storage capacity); 500 MB free web space | Unlimited | Unlimited on desktop (Size restricted by local storage capacity); 100 MB free web storage |
| Maximum number of reference types (e.g. journal, book) | Pre-defined (customizable): 50 User-defined: 3 | Pre-defined (customizable): 50 User-defined: 3 | Pre-defined: 20 | Pre-defined: 31 User-defined: None |
Pre-defined: 35 |
| Search and Replace | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Auto-complete data entry | Yes, for author(s), keyword(s), and journal title | No | Yes, for journal title, tags, keywords | Yes, for author(s), keyword(s), and journal titles | Yes, for author(s), journal title, tags |
| Spell Check | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Sort capabilites | Any field | Author, title or year. |
Any information categories |
Selected fields. Results of a search are automatically ranked by relevance | Any information categories |
| Field Search | Yes, by any field | Yes, by author | Yes, by author, title, publication names, year & notes | Yes, by selected fields | Yes, by any field |
| Advanced Search | Yes. Includes truncation and date range searching | No | No | Yes. Includes embedded truncation (excluding Descriptor field terms) | Yes. All fields |
| Filters for importing from online databases | Yes. List | Yes. List of instructions by vendor. Others available on request. |
Imports wikis, websites, and databases. Web snapshot retains the presentation of a particular web page. |
Yes. List of database vendors. Others available on request. | Imports wikis, websites, and databases. Web snapshot retains the presentation of a particular web page. |
| Edit or create filters | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Create a bibliography as a file within citation manager |
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| Export | Export records to:
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Export records to:
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Export records to:
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Export records to:
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Export records to:
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| RSS Feeds | No | No | No |
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Yes |


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