Bookends vs refbase
Bookends
sonnysoftware.comrefbase
wiki.refbase.netSide by side
| Figure | Bookends | refbase |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.3 (#7) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Integrations | The maker lists imports from EndNote, Papers, Sente, Zotero, and Mendeley; integrations with Microsoft Word, Mellel, Nisus Writer Pro, Tinderbox, DEVONthink, and Scrivener; and AppleScript support. | Documented integrations include Bibutils, Zotero, EndNote, Bookends, Microsoft Word and OpenOffice Writer. |
| Purpose | Bookends is a reference management app for students and professionals to collect, organize, annotate, cite, sync, share, and publish research. | refbase is a web-based, multi-user interface for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. |
| Support | The maker offers a technical support request form and directs users to its FAQ, email, and user forum for help or questions. | The project directs users to its documentation, forums, and mailing lists for help and discussion. |
Plans
Bookends
- Bookends for iOS Premium$14.99 a year
- Bookends for iOS Standard$14.99, paid once
- Bookends for Mac upgrade$49.99, paid once
- Bookends for Mac single-user license$74.99, paid once
In their own words
Bookends
Bookends is a reference-management app for students and professionals working with research. It collects, organizes, annotates, cites, syncs, shares, and publishes references across macOS, iOS, and a browser extension. The Mac app includes hundreds of searches for scholarly sources and institutional libraries, and can import references and PDFs. Its reader combines PDF annotations, notes, deep links, and searches across reference records and attached file contents. Bookends can scan manuscripts, replace temporary citations, and create in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies using built-in or CSL styles. Imports include EndNote XML, RIS, BibTeX, PubMed, and SenteXML, with integrations for Microsoft Word and other listed applications. Bookends Bridge connects browsers to the Mac app. MCP-capable AI assistants can search references, read PDFs, add notes and highlights, locate citations, and create bibliographies. Mac and iOS libraries sync through iCloud and can be shared with colleagues.
refbase
refbase is a web-based, multi-user application for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. It offers quick, simple, advanced, and SQL searches, including searches within results. Records can be shown in citation or print views, and the application generates formatted citation lists. It imports and exports records in formats such as MODS XML, RIS, BibTeX, and EndNote. The feature list names compatibility with desktop clients including Zotero and EndNote, as well as an open API and command-line client. Dynamic RSS feeds can track recently added or edited records and custom queries. Users can keep personal keywords and notes in user-specific fields. refbase is a free, self-hosted application licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. Running it requires a web server, PHP 4.4.0 or greater, and MySQL 4.1.x or greater for Unicode support. The web installer requires a MySQL user with full database access, and some shared hosts may require manual installation. Bibutils is optional and recommended for added import and export functionality.