Best Mendeley Reference Manager Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from reference management software ranked against Mendeley Reference Manager on the same published basis.
- 1Mendeley Reference Manager vs Zotero
- 2Mendeley Reference Manager vs Sciwand
- 3Mendeley Reference Manager vs Lean Library Workspace
- 5Mendeley Reference Manager vs ReadCube Papers
- 6Mendeley Reference Manager vs EndNote
- 7Mendeley Reference Manager vs Paperpile
- 8Mendeley Reference Manager vs Jurism
- 9Mendeley Reference Manager vs Bookends
- 10Mendeley Reference Manager vs JabRef
- 11Mendeley Reference Manager vs Citavi
- 12Mendeley Reference Manager vs Paperite
- 13Mendeley Reference Manager vs Petal
- 14Mendeley Reference Manager vs Papis
- 15Mendeley Reference Manager vs Pramaana
- 16Mendeley Reference Manager vs NVivo Transcription
- 17Mendeley Reference Manager vs KDE Keysmith
- 18Mendeley Reference Manager vs RefWorks
- 19Mendeley Reference Manager vs Biblioscape
- 20Mendeley Reference Manager vs BibSonomy
- 21Mendeley Reference Manager vs CiteDrive BibTeX Studio
Mendeley Reference Manager alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zotero | 7.9 | Free plan | $1.67/mo | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Sciwand | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Lean Library Workspace | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Android, Browser, iOS, Web |
| 5 | ReadCube Papers | 7.6 | No | $7.92/mo | Android, API, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 6 | EndNote | 7.5 | No | — | Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Paperpile | 7.5 | No | $4.15/mo | Android, Browser, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 8 | Jurism | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Browser, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Bookends | 7.1 | No | $1.25/mo | Browser, iOS, Mac |
| 10 | JabRef | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Browser, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | Citavi | 7.0 | No | — | Browser, Web, Windows |
| 12 | Paperite | 7.0 | Free plan | $15/mo | Web |
| 13 | Petal | 7.0 | Free plan | $2.55/mo | Browser, Web |
| 14 | Papis | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 15 | Pramaana | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | NVivo Transcription | 6.3 | No | — | Web |
| 17 | KDE Keysmith | 6.0 | No | — | Linux |
| 18 | RefWorks | 5.8 | No | — | Web |
| 19 | Biblioscape | 5.7 | No | — | Web, Windows |
| 20 | BibSonomy | 5.6 | No | — | Web |
| 21 | CiteDrive BibTeX Studio | 5.6 | No | — | Web |
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Questions about Mendeley Reference Manager alternatives
What is the best alternative to Mendeley Reference Manager?
Zotero, number 1 in reference management software with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: Sciwand, Lean Library Workspace, ReadCube Papers and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Mendeley Reference Manager?
Zotero is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 8 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, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.